On July 8, 2025, the award ceremony for Zhejiang Province’s “West Lake Friendship Award” for foreign experts was held with a grand ceremony at the Zhejiang Provincial People's Great Hall. Professor Giampaolo Buticchi, Associate Dean for Research & Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), was invited to attend and receive this honour.
The West Lake Friendship Award is the highest accolade conferred by the Zhejiang Provincial Government upon foreign experts working in the province. It aims to recognise those who have made outstanding contributions to Zhejiang's economic development and social progress. Professor Buticchi earned this prestigious award through his exceptional achievements in research, education, and academic leadership.
Professor Buticchi is a renowned expert in the field of power electronics, with a focus on renewable energy systems, green transportation, and high-reliability motor drive control. He previously served as a faculty member and researcher at Kiel University in Germany.
Since joining UNNC in 2017, Professor Buticchi has been committed to advancing cutting-edge scientific research and educational innovation. To date, he has published over 360 articles in international journals and conferences. His publications have accumulated more than 8500 citations, with an H-index of 50 (based on Scopus data). He has also been ranked among Stanford-Elsevier’s World's Top 2% Scientists for four consecutive years.
In the field of smart grid research, Professor Buticchi has made significant contributions to Zhejiang's low-carbon economic development. He has led advancements in key technologies such as efficient energy management, renewable energy integration, and grid stability. These achievements have not only driven academic progress but also demonstrated substantial industrial application value.
He also leads the establishment of several provincial-level key research platforms, including the Zhejiang-Germany Joint Laboratory on Smart Grid Technologies of UNNC. These initiatives have effectively attracted top domestic and international talent, injecting strong momentum into the sustainable development of related fields.
In terms of educational innovation, Professor Buticchi has also achieved remarkable success. He has actively promoted reforms in power electronics education, combining theoretical instruction with practical application projects, significantly enhancing students’ hands-on skills and innovation capabilities. As a PhD supervisor, his graduates now work in universities and research institutions around the world, with many joining prestigious Chinese institutions like Zhejiang University and Tsinghua University for further study or teaching roles, greatly contributing to the advancement of higher education in Zhejiang.
Published on 11 July 2025