Professor Kang is an internationally renowned leader in electrical power engineering, recognised for his pioneering research in developing cutting-edge models and methodologies to reduce the carbon intensity and the supply cost of electrical power systems.

Professor Kang is the Dean of Tsinghua University’s Department of Electrical Engineering and President of its Energy Internet Research Institute, which brings together research, education, policy and energy-system transformation. He was the first to introduce carbon analysis into power engineering, and his work directly contributes to China’s carbon-peak and carbon-neutrality agenda.

Prof Kang’s research has made major contributions in power system planning, power system optimisation, renewable energy integration, low-carbon electricity technology, load forecasting and the electricity market.

As a leading academic at Tsinghua University, consistently ranked among the world's top institutions for engineering and technology, Professor Kang brings significant international expertise to the University of Bath. His appointment as Global Chair will enhance collaboration across key strategic areas including clean energy, sustainable power systems, electrified heat and transport and life-cycle assessment.

A central outcome of Professor Kang’s appointment will be to establish a Virtual Joint Research Laboratory in Clean Energy and Sustainability. The Joint Lab will accelerate research, education and innovation in next-generation power system operation, planning, market design, while generating frameworks to inform future energy policy, regulation and industry standards in both the UK and China.

He has led more than ten National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects and has received the IEEE-PES Roy Billinton Reliability Award (2021) and IEEE-PES Outstanding Educator Award (2024) the first Chinese recipient of both. He won the IET Achievement Medals and the China Electric Power Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award. He is recognised as one of only three scholars in China named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Electrical Engineering in 2025.

Professor Chongqing Kang will be hosted by Professor Furong Li, Professor in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Deputy Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, alongside Professor Richard Burke, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Chris Budd, Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Dr Youhong Chen, Lecturer in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering.

On Professor Kang's appointment as Global Chair, Professor Li said:

It could not be more timely to host Professor Kang at this pivotal moment, as China and the UK are both at the forefront of accelerating the energy transition, taking the once in the generation opportunity to lower consumers energy bill, drive clean growth and boost national prosperity.

We’ve had the privilege of working with Professor Kang through the UK and Chinese governments to support China power sector reform and we look forward to working closely with Professor Kang, bringing together the strengths of our two universities and two countries to advance education, research and innovation, with impact reaching far beyond UK and China.

Proposed Activities at Bath

• UK-China Clean Energy Workshop
• EPSRC Supergen Energy Networks Hub Annual Conference Keynote Speech
• Public Lecture on Frontier Research and Impact
• Launch of Bath-Tsinghua Summer School
• Mentoring of Early-Career Researchers and Academic Colleagues
• Joint PhD Supervision and Research Training Collaboration