Professor Jon Garibaldi, Provost and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and Professor Giampaolo Buticchi, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Knowledge Exchange, were awarded the Ningbo Camellia Award by the Ningbo Municipal Government on 19 January.
The camellia is the city flower of Ningbo, and the Camellia Award recognises foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the city’s global engagement, the promotion of friendly exchanges, and its social and economic development.
Professor Jon Garibaldi has served as Provost of UNNC since January 2024, with overall responsibility for the University’s strategic planning and day-to-day operations. He is also a Professor of Computer Science and a World's Top 2% Scientist. His research focuses on the development of intelligent computing technologies that model human reasoning in uncertain environments, with a particular emphasis on medical applications. He has published more than 400 academic papers, including over 200 journal articles, and enjoys wide international recognition in the field.
Since taking office, Professor Garibaldi has provided strong leadership and a global outlook, driving high-quality development across teaching and learning, research, talent recruitment and social engagement. According to the latest figures, among the 2023/24 graduating cohort, more than 90 per cent of those pursuing further study progressed to institutions or programmes ranked within the global top 100, while around 90 per cent of employed graduates secured positions with Fortune Global 500 companies, leading enterprises, public institutions or government bodies—achieving outstanding outcomes in both further study and employment.
The University’s research performance has also been impressive. Around one in seven researchers is recognised among the world's top 2% of scientists. Over half of UNNC’s subjects are ranked in the 2025 Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, and six subjects are ranked in the top 1% of the ESI global rankings. Across these indicators, UNNC remains at the forefront among Sino-foreign cooperative universities.
Aligned with Ningbo’s and Zhejiang Province’s key industries and development strategies, UNNC has actively advanced the development of high-level research platforms, technology transfer, and the recruitment and cultivation of international talent. It continues to facilitate the concentration of global innovation resources in Ningbo, the local translation of scientific research outcomes, and the enhancement of the city’s international profile, providing strong support for Ningbo’s and Zhejiang’s green and low carbon transition, digital and intelligent upgrading, and high-quality development.
Professor Giampaolo Buticchi is a renowned expert in electrical engineering, with a focus on renewable energy systems, green transportation, and high-reliability motor drive control.
Since joining UNNC in 2017, Professor Buticchi has been committed to advancing cutting-edge scientific research and educational innovation. To date, he has published more than 360 articles in international journals and conference proceedings, and has been ranked among Stanford-Elsevier’s World's Top 2% Scientists for six consecutive years.
He serves as the academic lead of the Zhejiang-Germany Joint Laboratory on Smart Grid Technology of UNNC, a provincial-level international collaborative research platform that supports the development of high-level research infrastructure in the region. He has received a number of awards and honours for his contributions to economic and educational development of Zhejiang Province and Ningbo City, including the Zhejiang Westlake Friendship Award (2025), the Ningbo Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award (2023), and the title of Ningbo Yongjiang Professor.
Over nearly two decades of research, Professor Buticchi has achieved systematic advances in photovoltaic and wind power, electric drives, and the integration of renewable energy systems with smart grids.
In talent development and academic governance, Professor Buticchi has been actively engaged in power electronics education, combining theoretical instruction with practical application projects, significantly enhance students’ hands-on skills and innovation capabilities. As a PhD supervisor, his graduates now work in universities and research institutions around the world, with some joining leading Chinese institutions such as Zhejiang University and Tsinghua University. He has also driven major research projects and platform development, contributing to the Engineering discipline entering the ESI global top 1% and laying a solid foundation for regional scientific advancement and educational development.
Published on 13 January 2026