Peking University, April 2, 2022: The Honorary Professor Conferment Ceremony for Professor Sir Jim McDonald, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK and principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, was successfully held at Peking University. Sir Jim McDonald has made numerous notable achievements in the field of electrical engineering and energy, and is also well-recognized for his great endeavors in pushing forward the China-UK cooperation. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the two universities during the ceremony.
During the ceremony, PKU President Hao Ping extended his gratitude to Sir Jim McDonald for supporting the cooperation between PKU and the University of Strathclyde. Over the past two years, Sir Jim McDonald helped to strengthen the ties between PKU and the University of Strathclyde in the field of education despite challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
PKU Vice President Wang Bo made a brief introduction of Sir Jim McDonald. Since July 2020, both PKU and the University of Strathclyde have been working closely together in the academic fields of engineering, information science and technology, social sciences and more. For the past two years, Sir Jim McDonald played an instrumental role in developing the working partnership between the two universities. In particular, the collaborative initiatives between PKU College of Engineering and College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and the University of Strathclyde Faculty of Engineering and Centre for Sustainable Development are proud achievements of this partnership.
In his speech, Sir Jim McDonald expressed gratitude towards PKU and hoped to continue to deepen the ties between the two universities. He also expressed his hope that PKU and the University of Strathclyde could play an important role in realizing the shared goal of promoting Sustainable Development and China’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality in 2060. With this Memorandum of Understanding, Professor McDonald is optimistic that the ongoing relationship between PKU and the University of Strathclyde could help to fulfil the development goals put forth during the COP 26 Climate Summit.
Later, both universities engaged in discussions about the Memorandum of Understanding, which focused on establishing cooperation in a wide range of fields, including environmental science, engineering and social sciences. Past academic exchanges between the two universities have yielded fruitful results, and the deepened ties will surely catalyze more valuable progress in the foreseeable future.
Written by: Bai Qingwen
Edited by: Shi Xinyao, Hu Rong
