On the afternoon of November 17th, the Tsinghua University Honorary Professor Appointment Ceremony was held at Yifu Technical Building of the School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), Tsinghua University. Professor Tadashi Furuhara from the Institute for Materials Research (IMR) at Tohoku University, Japan, was officially appointed as Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University and delivered an academic lecture. The ceremony was attended by Prof. Lin Yuanhua, Dean of MSE; Prof. Yang Zhigang, Party Secretary of MSE; Prof. Sybrand van der Zwaag, fellow of Royal Society for Science in the Netherlands, honorary distinguished professor of Delft University of Technology; among other guests.

Dean Lin Yuanhua extended a warm welcome to Professor Furuhara and highlighted his outstanding contributions to the field of physical metallurgy. He expressed deep appreciation for Professor Furuhara’s long-standing support for the development of Tsinghua’s materials discipline. Lin noted that conferring the title of Honorary Professor is both a recognition of Professor Furuhara’s academic achievements and an invaluable opportunity for the University to enhance scholarly exchange. He emphasized that the appointment will further promote discipline building at Tsinghua and strengthen the University’s global academic influence. Following his remarks, Dean Lin presented the honorary certificate, and Secretary Yang Zhigang presented a commemorative gift to Professor Furuhara.

Professor Furuhara reviewed his long-term collaboration with the School of Materials Science and Engineering and expressed that receiving the Honorary Professorship of Tsinghua University is a tremendous honor. He looked forward to deepening future cooperation to advance research in metallic materials. He then delivered an academic lecture titled “Roles of Thermomechanical Processing on Microstructure Control of High-Strength Steel,” in which he introduced his research progress in phase transformation, precipitation, deformation, recrystallization, and microstructure control in steels and non-ferrous alloys. The talk was followed by a lively discussion with faculty members and students.

Professor Tadashi Furuhara, a globally recognized leader in physical metallurgy, has served as Director of the world-renowned Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University, President of the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Vice President of the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, and Editor-in-Chief of the flagship journals Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia. His research—spanning phase transformation, precipitation, deformation, recrystallization, and microstructure control through advanced thermomechanical and thermochemical approaches in steels and non-ferrous alloys—has produced a substantial body of original contributions, including 276 research papers, 64 reviews, and 18 books, shaping international progress in the field. In recognition of his impact, Professor Furuhara has received numerous prestigious honors, such as the Hillert-Cahn Award (2022), THERMEC Distinguished Award (2018), Vanadium Award (2022), Excellent Microscopy Award (2021), Tanigawa-Harris Award (2015), Japan Titanium Society Technology Award (2006), and Nishiyama Memorial Award (2000).