On the afternoon of April 14, the appointment ceremony for Tsinghua University Distinguished Visiting Professors was held in Conference Hall 3-217 of the West Main Building. Bian Jianhua (Jessica Bian), Academician of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and former President of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES), was invited to visit Tsinghua University. She was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University and delivered a keynote speech at the IEEE PES Day 2026 China Event. The event was attended by Zhang Xiaofeng, Vice Chair of the IEEE Smart Village Committee and Chair of its China Committee; Olayinka Omowunmi, Head of Project Development, IEEE Smart Village Committee; Professor Zhang Jun of Wuhan University and Chair of IEEE Wuhan Section; Kang Chongqing, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Chair of IEEE PCCC at Tsinghua University; Sun Kai, Deputy Dean of the Department; Associate Professor Zhong Haiwang; as well as student and faculty representatives from PES student branches of four universities in Beijing. The appointment ceremony was chaired by Sun Kai.

At the ceremony, Sun Kai introduced Academician Bian’s academic achievements and her significant contributions to international exchange and collaboration in the field of electric power and energy. Kang Chongqing presented Bian Jianhua with the letter of appointment as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University, and expressed gratitude for her long-standing support of the Department of Electrical Engineering. He expressed his expectation that both sides will further deepen cooperation in talent cultivation, scientific research, and international academic exchange. Bian Jianhua stated in her remarks that the title of Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University is a great honor. She sincerely thanked Tsinghua University and the Department of Electrical Engineering for their long-term support and trust. She expressed her intention to leverage this appointment as an opportunity to expand cooperation through IEEE and other international platforms, contributing to the development of the department toward a world-class academic discipline.

Kang Chongqing presented the Certificate of Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University to Academician Jessica Bian

The attending guests posed for a group photo

Group photo of attendees

Biography of the Guest

Bian Jianhua is an internationally recognized authority in power systems, with major contributions to reliability assessment of power systems, renewable energy integration policy, and smart grid standardization. She is a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and an IEEE Fellow. She currently serves as Chief Technology Officer of RAS Fusion and previously held the position of Director of Performance Analysis at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). She has long been engaged in power system reliability standards development, risk analysis, renewable energy integration technologies, and grid modernization strategy research. The energy policies and technical standards she has led have had pioneering and far-reaching industrial impact. Academician Bian has received honors including the IEEE PES Wanda Reder Pioneer Award and the IEEE PES Technical Committee Working Group Recognition Award.