Dr Mark Read, a researcher in nuclear materials and energy production at the University of Birmingham, has been appointed as international expert to two universities in China as part of a government-funded programme to support innovation in Chinese higher education.
Dr Mark Read (right) with Professor Zhang Laibin, President of China University of Petroleum – Beijing
Dr Mark Read, a researcher in nuclear materials and energy production at the University of Birmingham, has been appointed as international expert to two universities in China as part of a government-funded programme to support innovation in Chinese higher education.
The new role has come about following a successful Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project (111) bid. The project is supported by the Ministry of Education and the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs in China.
Dr Read will share his expertise with Xiamen University and the China University of Petroleum-Beiji (certificate awarded by CUP President, Professor Zhang Laibin). In his role as Director of the Sino-British Cooperative Programme, Dr Read will contribute to work on computational modelling of nuclear energy materials, including as part of the newly-launched Worldwide Energy Universities Network in Beijing, alongside academics from 27 other universities from across the globe.
On 22 September, Dr Read; Professor Martin Freer, Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute (BEI); Dr Bing Liu, Director of International Relations; participated in the opening of the Worldwide Energy Universities Network . The signing ceremony was broadcast on China Central Television. The networks aims to create an educational community for global energy that will encourage exchanges and collaboration between countries and regions in energy studies.
Dr Read is a key member of the Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research. Launched in 2010, the Centre brings together a multidisciplinary team from across the University to tackle fundamental nuclear industry problems.
Reflecting on the appointment, Dr Read said: "I am immensely pleased and honoured to be appointed as an International Expert in the computational modelling of nuclear energy materials and look forward to our new collaborations that this position has enabled. I am particularly looking forward to co-chairing the next Energy9 International Conference and visiting Chinese universities and nuclear sites during this academic year.”
In January 2018, the University of Birmingham secured £42 million to launch the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR). Leading a consortium of eight universities, the NCNR will tackle the major challenge of how to safely clean up nuclear waste.
Image: Dr Mark Read (left) with Professor Martin Freer (centre) and Dr Bing Liu.
