On the morning of October 27, 2025, the School of Civil Engineering at Southeast University held an appointment ceremony for Professor Anke Weidenkaff from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, as aguest professor. The ceremony, held in Room 304, marked a historic moment as Professor Weidenkaff became the first femaleguest professor in the School of Civil Engineering. Attendees included researchers Xie Wenjie and Chen Guoxing from the Technical University of Darmstadt; Professor Xu Jian, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation at Southeast University; Professor Xie Tianyu, Assistant Dean of the School of Civil Engineering; Professor Pan Jinlong; Associate Professor Dong Zhiqiang; Associate Professor Cai Jingming; and other faculty and student representatives.The ceremony was presided over by Professor Xie Tianyu, Assistant Dean of the School of Civil Engineering.
At the ceremony, Deputy Director Xu Jian briefly introduced Professor Anke Weidenkaff's academic achievements and, on behalf of the university, extended a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to her for being appointed as aguest professor at Southeast University. She pointed out that this appointment will further enhance collaborative research between the two universities in cutting-edge fields such as low-carbon buildings, energy-integrated structures, and sustainable infrastructure, and will effectively promote exchanges and cooperation between the two institutions. Deputy Director Xu Jian then presented Professor Weidenkaff with herguestprofessor appointment letter and pinned the Southeast University badge on her.
In her acceptance speech, Professor Anke Weidenkaff expressed her sincere gratitude to Southeast University for its recognition and trust. She stated that she would take this appointment as a new starting point to conduct deeper and more systematic academic exchanges and cooperation with relevant teams at Southeast University, establish and maintain a long-term friendly cooperative relationship, and jointly promote the development of related disciplines.
Following the appointment ceremony, Professor Anke Weidenkaff delivered an academic report entitled "Regenerative Materials for Regenerative Energy Technologies".
Professor Anke Weidenkaff is a member of the German Academy of Sciences and the German Academy of Engineering. She is currently a Chair Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and has served as President of the European Thermoelectric Society and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Strategic Studies in Resources (Fraunhofer IWKS). She has also held important positions in several international organizations, including a member of the German Government's Advisory Committee on Global Change (WBGU) and Chair of the European Commission's Advisory Committee on Advanced Materials. Her research focuses on high-performance thermoelectric devices, energy conversion and storage, green manufacturing processes, and resource recycling. She has received numerous international honors, including the Karl Böer Renewable Energy Achievement Award, the Kavli Chair Award, and the SolarPACES Award. Professor Weidenkaff is actively committed to promoting international scientific research cooperation, building transnational academic exchange platforms, and fostering global collaborative innovation in energy and engineering.
