On the afternoon of 17 June, the 2026 UNNC-SDU DTP Workshop, co-organised by the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and Shandong University (SDU), was successfully held at UNNC. The workshop brought together academic strengths from both institutions, providing an excellent platform for doctoral students to present high-level research outcomes and deepen cross-university scholarly dialogue.

The workshop was chaired by Professor Juan Wang, Academic Lead of the UNNC-SDU Doctoral Training Partnership Programme. Professor Jian Yang, Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at UNNC, delivered the opening address. He warmly welcomed the SDU students and affirmed the significant progress made by the joint programme in talent cultivation and research collaboration. Subsequently, Ms. Jingjing Huang, Project Officer for Doctoral Training Partnership at the Graduate School, provided detailed information on key programme milestones and support policies, helping students better plan their academic pathways.

The core session of the workshop—the student academic presentations—was moderated by Dr. Mengxia Xu, Academic Lead of the programme. Ten doctoral students from both universities presented their research topics in turn. The presentations covered a wide range of fields, including environmental functional materials and solid waste resource utilisation, novel cementitious materials and tailings stabilisation, intelligent transportation infrastructure sensing technologies, real-time analysis of geotechnical slope stability, numerical modelling of pavement structure shakedown, plasma-assisted ammonia decomposition for hydrogen production and combustion enhancement, phase-change thermal storage materials in cogeneration heating systems, magnetic biochar for heavy-metal-contaminated soil remediation, multi-source data-driven low-carbon campus optimisation, and bubble dynamics and mass transfer mechanisms in microchannels. These studies demonstrated both robust theoretical modelling and innovative experimental explorations, fully reflecting the depth of thinking and interdisciplinary perspectives of the joint doctoral students in their respective fields. After each presentation, supervising faculty provided professional feedback and constructive suggestions, sparking lively academic discussions. The doctoral students not only showcased their research capabilities but also gained valuable insights for improvement.

Following the presentation session, Professor Juan Wang chaired a discussion on programme-related matters, during which joint supervisors exchanged views on further optimising the joint training mechanism and strengthening research collaboration. Finally, Professor Wang delivered the closing remarks, highly commending the outcomes of the workshop and encouraging students to continue their in-depth research, while expressing anticipation for further fruitful collaboration between the two universities.

Launched in 2023, the UNNC-SDU Doctoral Training Partnership Programme has so far enrolled 13 doctoral students. The programme is jointly supervised by faculty from both sides, with students enjoying access to the rich academic resources of both institutions and full scholarship support, and graduating with a doctoral degree from the University of Nottingham UK. As noted by the participating supervisors, UNNC’s international vision and SDU’s solid engineering foundation complement each other, providing a unique nurturing ground for doctoral candidates.

This workshop not only showcased the latest progress of the joint programme but also strengthened the research and talent-development bonds between the two universities. Looking ahead, both sides will continue to work together to drive cutting-edge outputs and cultivate high-level international talent.

Our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their enthusiastic support—we look forward to our next gathering!