On the afternoon of September 27, 2023, Yan Xuedong, Vice President of Beijing Jiaotong University, met with the visiting delegation led by Saifur Rahman—IEEE President and CEO, and Director of the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute (USA)—as well as Hua Ning, Senior Director of IEEE Asia-Pacific Region, in Siyuan Building.
Yan Xuedong extended a warm welcome to Saifur Rahman and his delegation. He briefly introduced the university’s historical evolution, discipline construction, talent training, and its role in serving the national rail transit industry. He thanked IEEE for its long-term support in co-hosting international academic conferences, facilitating the participation of the university’s IEEE Fellows and members in various activities, and sharing research achievements. He expressed hope that both parties would continue to strengthen academic exchanges and talent training cooperation in fields such as electric power and renewable energy in the future.
Saifur Rahman praised the long-term exchanges and cooperation between Beijing Jiaotong University and IEEE, especially IEEE PES, across various fields. He provided a detailed overview of IEEE’s development, stating that IEEE will continue to support the university’s teachers and students in participating in IEEE activities, promote personnel exchanges, and further advance cooperation in co-hosting international conferences.
After the meeting, Saifur Rahman and his delegation visited the University History Museum and delivered an academic report titled "Design, Development, and Application of Smart Grids" to teachers and students of the School of Electrical Engineering.
Responsible comrades from the School of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Human Resources, and the International Office participated in the meeting.
Professor Saifur Rahman currently serves as IEEE President and CEO, and Director of the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute (USA). He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1973, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 1978. He is also a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and Director of the Center for Energy and the Global Environment. His research focuses on smart grids, traditional and renewable energy systems, load forecasting, uncertainty assessment, infrastructure planning, and IoT device integration, with numerous publications in these areas. Additionally, he served as President of IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) in 2018 and 2019, Vice Chair of the IEEE Publications Committee, and a member of the IEEE Board of Directors.
