Recently, the Shandong Provincial Government hosted a reception celebrating the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, along with the Honorary Citizen of Shandong Province awarding ceremony, in Jinan. Shandong Provincial Party Secretary Lin Wu attended the event and presented the certificate of Honorary Citizen of Shandong Province to Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, a visiting professor at our university.

Professor Waterhouse is an internationally renowned materials scientist and an expert in single-atom catalysis. This year, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Since joining our university as a visiting professor in 2017, he has actively promoted the establishment of a green energy research and development platform, facilitated talent cultivation and international cooperation, led the approval of two provincial-level talent projects, taught four courses, published over 50 SCI papers, and applied for six patents. His team has achieved remarkable results, with one faculty member honored as Outstanding Contributor of Shandong Province, six receiving funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and four joint-trained master's students. Prior to the award ceremony, he also offered high-quality suggestions on international cooperation in higher education, which were highly recognized by provincial leaders. Honorary Citizen of Shandong Province is the highest honor conferred by the Shandong Provincial Government on foreign nationals to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the province's development and international exchanges.