(By Xiao Yixuan and Dai Kaiwen, Correspondents) To strengthen international academic exchanges and cooperation, broaden the academic horizons of faculty and students, and promote the high-quality development of disciplines, the School of Materials Science and Engineering invited Professor Tomasz Liskiewicz, Dean of the School of Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, to visit our university on March 2. Professor Tomasz is a renowned scholar in the international field of tribology and surface engineering. He holds multiple academic titles, including Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP), Chartered Engineer (CEng) for life granted by Royal Charter, and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE). He has been approved as an expert under the "World-Renowned Scientists Lecturing in Hubei Program" and has long been dedicated to research in surface engineering, coating technology, and friction and wear mechanisms, possessing significant international academic influence and practical value for industry. The lecture was hosted by Professor Zhao Hongyang, Deputy Dean of the School and Director of the Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, and was titled "Tribology and Surface Engineering".
Professor Tomasz shared excellent academic insights with the faculty and students.
In his lecture, Professor Tomasz took the development trajectory of tribology and surface engineering as a starting point, tracing the field from early empirical observations to the pivotal moment when tribology was formally established as a discipline after the 《Jost Report》, and clearly elucidated its core position in modern engineering systems. He specifically pointed out that the economic and environmental impacts brought by surface interactions have long been underestimated, and just friction, wear, and corrosion alone account for 1.36% of the UK's GDP. Focusing on the technical applications and practical value of surface engineering, Professor Tomasz elaborated in detail on the approaches and methods of solving key engineering problems through targeted surface property modification. Drawing on real industrial cases from multiple sectors including oil and gas, automotive, biomedical, aerospace and consumer goods, he vividly demonstrated the critical role of surface engineering in advancing high-end manufacturing. The lecture combined theoretical depth with practical breadth, offering both cutting-edge disciplinary theory and vivid industrial application examples, providing faculty and students with an immersive experience of international frontier research ideas and application directions.
Professor Tomasz explains core knowledge in the field of tribology and surface engineering.
After the lecture, the faculty and students present engaged in a lively interactive exchange with Professor Tomasz. Drawing on their own research interests, they actively raised questions on cutting-edge research issues in tribology theory, specific application challenges of surface engineering technologies, and the research progress and cooperation opportunities between China and the UK in this field. Professor Tomasz patiently answered each question in detail, addressing their doubts and queries with professional insights and well-grounded examples, creating a strong academic atmosphere on site. This in-depth exchange not only resolved many of the perplexities the faculty and students had encountered in their research, but also significantly broadened their academic research horizons.
The faculty and students engaged in a lively academic exchange and discussion with Professor Tomasz.
After the lecture, Professor Tomasz visited the Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials and had in-depth academic exchanges with the laboratory team.
Professor Tomasz visited the Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials.
The successful holding of this international academic exchange event has built a high-quality platform for our faculty and students to engage face-to-face with internationally renowned scholars, effectively broadening their international academic horizons and deepening their understanding of the cutting-edge developments and application prospects in the field of tribology and surface engineering. Meanwhile, this exchange has further enhanced mutual understanding and academic trust between our college and Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, in the field of Materials Science and Engineering, laying a solid foundation for substantive international research cooperation and joint talent cultivation between the two sides in the future.
