On the morning of November 20, 2023, the appointment ceremony for strategic scientists from the Cross disciplinary Research Institute of our university was held in the Grand Lecture Hall of the Academic Conference Center on Tunxi Road Campus. Li Jie, academician of the CAS Member, distinguished professor of Tongji University, director of the Shanghai Institute for Disaster Prevention and Relief, and Chen Gang, deputy secretary of the UCPC, attended the appointment ceremony. Leaders from the research institute, graduate school, personnel department, School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, School of Architecture and Art, Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd. of Hefei University of Technology, and Gongda Engineering Testing and Testing Co., Ltd. of Hefei University of Technology attended the appointment ceremony. The ceremony was presided over by Wang Jingfeng, Dean of the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering.

Chen Gang, Deputy Secretary of the School Party Committee, expressed gratitude to Academician Li Jie for his long-term care and support to the school in his speech. He hoped that the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering would further strengthen the construction of a high-level talent team, optimize the development environment for high-level talents, fully leverage Academician Li Jie's leadership role, bring out a group of high-level talents with strong scientific research capabilities, practical work style, and the ability to undertake national major projects, and effectively promote the high-quality and high-level development of the civil engineering discipline.

Academician Li Jie expresses sincere gratitude for our school's hiring. He deeply reviewed his historical origins with Hefei University of Technology. Academician Li Jie stated that he will do his best to contribute to the construction of the school's civil engineering discipline and the cultivation of young talents.

At the appointment ceremony, Hu Xiaoxuan, Executive Vice President of the Graduate School, introduced the basic information and academic achievements of Academician Li Jie. Chen Gang presented Academician Li Jie with an appointment letter as a strategic scientist at the Cross disciplinary Research Institute and presented him with a school souvenir.

After the appointment ceremony, Academician Li Jie gave a report titled On the Theory of Third Generation Structural Design. The report starts with analyzing the two basic dimensions of structural design theory and briefly discusses the logical development process of the first and second generation of structural design theory. On this basis, Academician Li Jie pointed out the limitations and basic contradictions of the second-generation structural design theory, analyzed the basic characteristics that the third-generation structural design theory should have, and discussed its theoretical basis and basic architecture. Finally, he provided a thematic description of the research that needs to be carried out to fully establish the third-generation structural design theory. Academician Li Jie and the attending teachers and students had in-depth and enthusiastic discussions on the content of the report and the issues of interest.

Subsequently, Academician Li Jie and more than 100 representatives of teachers and students from the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering participated in the Academician Face to Face exchange and discussion. A short film titled Problem leads the on-site teachers and students to approach Academician Li Jie, feeling his guidance in establishing problem awareness for teachers and students, and experiencing his teacher style of moral education. In the interactive section, on-site teachers and students had in-depth exchanges with Academician Li Jie from the perspective of scientific research education, focusing on how to do a good job as a graduate supervisor, cultivating students' innovative thinking, exploring scientific problems, and responding to scientific research setbacks. Academician Li Jie responded to the concerns of teachers and students from multiple dimensions such as the development of civil engineering, shared experiences of growing and progressing together with students, put forward guidance and suggestions, and gave earnest expectations to young teachers and students.