Cross-border · Research, innovation and assessment · United Kingdom
China gives its Friendship Award to Surrey materials engineer Ravi Silva
Ravi Silva, head of the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute and a professor at Zhengzhou University since 2018, has received a Chinese state award reserved for foreign experts.
Why it matters: Both the University of Surrey and Zhengzhou University employ Silva as a Distinguished Professor, and the Chinese award cites his international collaboration.
According to Surrey, Silva has received the Chinese Government Friendship Award, which the university calls the top distinction China gives to experts from abroad.
Surrey said the award honoured his part in China's modernisation drive and his work with partners in other nations.
At Surrey he leads the Advanced Technology Institute, which designs materials at the nanoscale for uses such as solar cells, batteries, semiconductors and wearable health devices.
Silva has held a Distinguished Professor role at Zhengzhou University since 2018, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering made him a foreign member in 2023.
Editor’s view
Scott James, Research and Innovation Editor
The recipient holds senior posts at universities in both the UK and China, and the honour, as Surrey describes it, rewards his cross-border research cooperation.
