The Civil Engineering Division of the Department of Engineering at Cambridge welcomed a distinguished delegation from Tongji University, China, for a week-long graduate forum titled "From Concrete to Code: Civil Engineering in the Digital Era", held from 17 -20th June 2025. The visit marked a significant milestone in the growing collaboration between two of the world’s leading institutions in civil engineering research and education.
Hosted in Cambridge West, the event brought together over 40 graduate students and faculty members from both institutions. The forum focused on deepening academic exchange in four critical areas: Structures, Geotechnics, Disaster Prevention, and Smart Construction.
The forum commenced on June 17 with welcome remarks from leaders of both universities and a keynote by Professor Giulia Viggiani, head of the Civil Engineering Division. A series of plenary sessions followed, led by Cambridge academics including Dr Brian Sheil, Dr Jim Hambleton, Dr Sam Stanier and Dr John Orr and featuring joint student presentations and interactive discussions.
Tongji University contributed its own academic leadership, including a keynote address delivered on June 18 by the Vice Dean at the College of Civil Engineering, Professor Fang Liu and active participation in student-faculty dialogues. A notable highlight was a collaborative session titled “The Future of Civil Engineering” chaired by Dr Brian Sheil, in which students from both universities engaged in forward-looking debates on digital transformation, sustainability, and resilience in engineering practice.
This forum exemplifies how global partnerships can drive the evolution of civil engineering in the digital age. The calibre of discussion and the spirit of collaboration were truly inspiring.(...)” Dr Brian Sheil, CSIC Director
In addition to academic exchange, the forum emphasized cultural immersion and informal networking. The visit concluded with a tour of the National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing (NRFIS) and a field trip to a construction site in West Cambridge, providing a real-world context to themes explored during the forum.
As both universities look ahead, this graduate forum is expected to serve as a foundation for expanding their partnership and co-developing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing infrastructure and sustainability challenges.