On June 25, the list of awardees for the 15th “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize” was announced at the 17th Academicians’ Conference of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, accompanied by a grand award ceremony. One expert received the “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Achievement Award,” and forty experts received the “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize.” Professor He Jinliang from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA), Tsinghua University was awarded the 15th “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize” in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of high voltage technology.

Award Ceremony for the 15th “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize”

Professor He Jinliang serves as the Chair of the Academic Committee and the Director of the Institute of High Voltage and Insulation Technology. He is a renowned expert in high voltage technology and has long been engaged in research on the fundamental theories and core technologies for overvoltage protection in power systems. His innovative contributions include lightning discharge theory and grounding technology, high-performance surge arresters and deep limitation techniques for power grid overvoltage, large-capacity transmission pipelines and recyclable power cables, power sensors, and grid monitoring technologies, significantly advancing lightning protection and transformer substation technology in China. Professor He is the Chief Scientist of the National Key Basic Research Program (973 Program), the head of the National Natural Science Foundation Innovation Research Group, a recipient of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, a Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor appointed by the Ministry of Education, and an outstanding young expert in the National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Program. He is also a foreign member of the Bologna Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of IET, a Fellow of the International Society for High Power Electromagnetics, and a Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering. His accolades include the IEEE Herman Halperin Award, the IEEE Technical Achievement Award, the Hoshino Award from Japan, the Rudolf Heinrich Golde Award from Europe, the CIGRE Distinguished Membership Award, and the Outstanding Contribution Award in Power Engineering in China. He has received two second-class National Science and Technology Progress Awards, one second-class National Technology Invention Award, nine provincial and ministerial first prizes, as well as the Best Invention Award from the World Intellectual Property Organization and the IET Engineering Innovation Award. He has published eight monographs in both Chinese and English and authored over 400 SCI papers in journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology, and Engineering. He holds over 150 domestic and international patents, and has served as the chief editor of nine national standards and four international standard guidelines. Professor He is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Asia-Pacific International Lightning Conference (permanent institution), the Chairman of the National Lightning Protection Standardization Committee, the founding editor of iEnergy, and the Associate Editor of High Voltage and CSEE JPES.

Professor He’s “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize” Certificate

The “Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize” was established with donations from Zhu Guangya, former Vice Chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and entrepreneurs Yin Yanliang, Du Junyuan, and Chen Youhao. It is approved by the National Science and Technology Prize Office and managed by the Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize Foundation. The award was first presented in 1996 and is awarded every two years to recognize Chinese engineering and technology experts who have made significant contributions and achieved outstanding accomplishments in the fields of engineering science and technology and engineering management. It is the highest award in the Chinese engineering community established by social forces in China. Nominations are made by academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ departments of Information Technology and Technical Sciences, and nominated institutions designated by national engineering and technology associations from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Preliminary evaluations are conducted by specialized review committees organized by the nine departments of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and review committees from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Candidates who pass the preliminary evaluation are announced on the Chinese Academy of Engineering website and the Guanghua Science and Technology Prize WeChat official account. The Guanghua Science and Technology Prize Council conducts the final evaluation, and the results are approved by the council. To date, a total of 383 scientists and 1 academic group have been recognized.