Many Congratulations to Professor Sir Jim McDonald on his Conferment of Peking University’s Honorary Professorship

On 25 March 2022, Peking University held an online ceremony to confer the honorary Professorship of Peking University to Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The President of Peking University, Professor Hao Ping said, “I am very delighted and honoured to make Sir Jim an Honorary Professor at Peking University in recognition of his distinguished contribution and outstanding profile in academia and his significant achievements in the field of energy and power. Moreover, Sir Jim McDonald has made significant contributions in promoting collaborations and exchanges in engineering and technology between China and the UK, as well as between Peking University and universities and scientific institutions in the UK.”
 


Sir Jim said “I am also delighted to have this Honorary Professorship conferred upon me by PKU. This is indeed a great honour from an outstanding institution with an excellent reputation for education and research.”

Professor Sir Jim McDonald has supported many collaborations between the University of. Strathclyde and Peking University as well as between the UK and China. In particular, Sir Jim spearheaded many collaborations and exchanges between the College of Engineering, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Peking University, and the Faculty of Engineering and Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Strathclyde.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald is a Foreign Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering. In January 2020, he was invited by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, to speak at the Foreign Experts’ Symposium, presided by Premier Li Keqiang in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The Symposium included over sixty foreign experts, of which only two, including Sir Jim, were invited to speak and present to Premier Li and other ministers of the Chinese government.

The impact of Professor Sir Jim’s research has been significant on the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Royal Academy of Engineering on development of engineering technology for decarbonisation, which is a long-term shared agenda for the UK and China in prioritised collaboration for research and innovation on net zero and low carbon technologies’ development.

In the ceremony, both the Universities have signed an MoU of strategic partnership in research and exchanges for sustainable development and decarbonisation.