The AUT Intelligent Systems and Sustainable Energy Research Centre (ISSERC) was honoured to host Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han during his academic visit from 6 September to 10 September 2025. The visit provided valuable opportunities for high-level academic exchange and discussions on future international research collaboration in intelligent systems, automation, control engineering, and sustainable energy technologies.
Distinguished Professor Han is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Quality) at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. He previously held various academic and leadership positions at Griffith University and Central Queensland University in Australia. His research interests span networked control systems, multi-agent systems, time-delay systems, smart grids, unmanned surface vehicles, and neural networks.
Professor Han is internationally recognised for his outstanding contributions to control systems and industrial informatics. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2024 IEEE Dr.-Ing. Eugene Mittelmann Achievement Award, the 2024 Chinese Association of Automation Science and Technology Achievement Award, the 2021 Norbert Wiener Award, and the 2021 M. A. Sargent Medal. He is a Member of Academia Europaea, an IEEE Follow, an IFAC Fellow, and ACA Fellow, and a CAA Fellow. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in both Engineering and Computer Science.
During the visit, Distinguished Professor Han engaged in constructive discussions with ISSERC core members including the Head of School, Professor Tek Tjing Lie, focusing on emerging research directions and opportunities for strategic collaboration. Centre Director Dr Boda Ning also held extensive discussions with Professor Han regarding future joint research initiatives, international partnerships, postgraduate supervision, and collaborative funding opportunities.
The visit further strengthened ISSERC’s international research network and reinforced the Centre’s commitment to advancing globally connected and interdisciplinary research excellence.
ISSERC sincerely acknowledges the support provided by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) and the School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences (ECMS), whose support made this academic visit possible.