Professor HAN Jiecai
Doctor of Engineering
honoris causa
Biography
Professor Han Jiecai has provided critical material support for humanity’s pursuit of high-speed flight and deep-space exploration. He has achieved important results in advancing the leapfrog development of ultra-high temperature composite materials in China, as well as in the research of large-size single crystal growth and functional thin film materials. Many of his achievements have been applied in major aerospace projects, including high-speed vehicles and the new-generation manned spacecraft test vessel, and have also achieved industrialization.
Professor Han also has extensive experience in higher education management and practice. Since 2004, he has consecutively served as Assistant President, Vice President, and Executive Vice President of the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), and has been serving as President of HIT from 2021 to the present. He has made active explorations in promoting the establishment of deep strategic cooperation networks between HIT and world-class universities, broadening students’ international perspectives, enhancing their academic competitiveness, and striving to cultivate high-level innovative talents with global competitiveness.
Citation
Mr Council Chairman,
It is a profound privilege to present to you Professor Han Jiecai, a distinguished scientist who has demonstrated a host of exceptional research achievements, as well as tremendous vision as an engineering educator. His pioneering innovations in ultra-high-temperature composite materials and infrared optical crystals have provided critical material support for major national aerospace programmes. And his unwavering dedication to higher education reform and the cultivation of outstanding talent has laid a solid foundation for nurturing China’s future engineering and technological leaders.
As a scientist, Professor Han has devoted his energies to addressing many of the fundamental challenges in materials science for extreme environments. For example, he has systematically advanced research into toughening mechanisms and high-temperature oxidation resistance of ultra-high-temperature composites. This has significantly enhanced the ability to actively control the mechanical properties and oxidation-ablation resistance of materials. Professor Han’s research now directly supports thermal protection systems in a number of Chinese spacecraft, including the test vehicle for China’s next-generation crewed spacecraft. He played a leading role in the “New Generation of Lightweight Multi-scale Ablation-resistant and Heat-resistant Composite Materials and their Applications for Spacecraft” project, which exemplifies the integration of fundamental research with national strategic needs. This achievement earned him the “Ten Major Scientific and Technological Progress of China’s Colleges and Universities” award from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China in 2020.
In the field of infrared optical materials, Professor Han created innovative new methods and equipment for growing large-sized sapphire crystals. He has also developed key materials and processes for the large-scale production of high-thermal-conductivity single-crystal diamond and tetrahedral amorphous carbon anti-reflection protective films. These innovations have been successfully applied to infrared windows and millimetre-wave radar components in a variety of engineering projects. This has paved the way for the successful industrialisation of the materials and established a core technological system with independent intellectual property rights.
As an educator, Professor Han has served as the President of the Harbin Institute of Technology since 2021, where he is the driving force behind the development and internationalisation of engineering education. He is a firm advocate for diversified and open educational models, promoting an opening-up in education, and providing significant intellectual leadership for China's higher engineering education reform. To that end, he has contributed numerous byline articles on cultivating top-tier talent to prominent national media outlets. He emphasises the importance of closely integrating engineering and technological innovation with industrial needs and national strategies - a philosophy that permeates his educational approach and research practices.
Professor Han’s academic contributions have garnered widespread recognition. As the principal investigator, he received a Second Prize in the State Natural Science Award, two Second Prizes in the State Technological Invention Award, and a “Ten Major Scientific and Technological Progress of China’s Colleges and Universities” award, as well as a State Scientific and Technological Progress Award. He has published over 400 papers in national and international journals, including nine in the Science and Nature family of journals, authored four academic monographs, and filed over 70 national patents for original inventions.
Professor Han is a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and the Principal Investigator of an Innovative Research Group funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He also serves as Executive Deputy Director of the Materials Department of the 8th Science and Technology Commission of the Ministry of Education, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Astronautics, Editor-in-Chief of Electron, and Associate Editor-in-Chief of SCIENTIA SINICA Technologica and Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, among other important academic positions.
Through his original breakthroughs in materials science, strategic support for national aerospace programmes, and profound influence on engineering education reform, Professor Han Jiecai exemplifies the harmonious unity of scientific spirit and educational dedication. Professor Han’s vision and practice resonate strongly with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s mission of pursuing world-class research and applications that benefit society. PolyU actively participates in national space exploration programmes and is committed to nurturing future aerospace research talent. Recently, the University further demonstrated its commitment to the aerospace field with the launch of the “Building the Future: Robotics for the International Lunar Research Station” campaign, designed to engage teachers and students across the Greater Bay Area in science education and exchange activities. We are confident that the Harbin Institute of Technology and PolyU will deepen our collaboration in aerospace materials, advanced manufacturing, and engineering talent development, jointly contributing to the goal of building China into one of the world’s leading science and technology nations.
Mr Council Chairman, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to materials science and engineering, his strategic support for major national projects, and his significant influence on engineering education reform and talent development, it is with the greatest respect and admiration that I present Professor Han Jiecai, for the conferment of the Degree of Doctor of Engineering honoris causa.
Response Speech
Chairman Lam, President Teng,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon, everyone!
I am deeply honoured to receive the degree of Doctor of Engineering honoris causa from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I am truly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. This honour belongs not to me alone, but to all the students and staff of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). It fully recognises our commitment to cultivating exceptional talent, developing national strategic technologies, and faithfully carrying out the mission of building China into a space power. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and highest esteem to PolyU and President Teng.
President Xi Jinping has drawn up a grand blueprint for building Hong Kong into an international hub for innovation and technology, deepening scientific and technological cooperation between the two sides to serve the nation’s needs. Guided by this blueprint, PolyU has grown into a world-renowned institution of higher education. With over eighty years of proud heritage, multiple disciplines at PolyU have ranked among the world’s best. The University has actively integrated itself into the nation’s overall development, forging a development path that closely links production, education, research, and application. It stands as an exemplary model of industry-education collaborative innovation. Today, to become a member of PolyU, I deeply feel both the honour of this mission and the weight of responsibility.
The friendship between HIT and PolyU has flourished through our joint service to national strategies. The two universities have worked closely in areas such as joint laboratories, collaborative research, and doctoral student training. To date, over one hundred dual-degree PhD students have either graduated or are currently enrolled. At the end of 2025, the HIT-PolyU Shenzhen International School of Design was approved for establishment, elevating the bilateral partnership to a new stage of substantive, institutionalised collaboration.
Looking ahead, and in the context of global changes and national rejuvenation, I am committed to working together with President Teng and our colleagues from both universities to deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation. We will promote the deep integration of our respective strengths, collaboratively plan for fundamental and frontier research, join forces to tackle key technological challenges, and deepen joint efforts in talent cultivation. We will also build platforms for the growth of young people, so that innovation outcomes can better serve the common well‑being of human society.
Finally, I wish once again to express my sincere gratitude to PolyU for this great honour. May PolyU achieve even greater success, and may you all enjoy good health and happiness!
