On March 30, Jacques Magnaudet, President of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) and senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Toulouse Institute of Fluid Mechanics, paid a visit to the School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and the National Key Laboratory of Structural Strength and Life of Major Equipment under Complex Service Environments. Dean Shen Shengping was present, and Professor Zhang Jie, Deputy Director of the Department of Engineering Mechanics, presided over the academic activities.

Professor Magnaudet gave a keynote presentation on gravity and buoyancy-driven rising and falling motions of spheres and disks in liquid, introducing relevant numerical simulation results, stability analysis and core fluid mechanics mechanisms. He exchanged ideas with faculty and doctoral students, offering professional comments on eight academic reports. On March 31, he had an in-depth discussion with Dean Shen Shengping about cutting-edge mechanics research, disciplinary planning and youth scholar cultivation. The professor shared IUTAM’s new supportive policies for young researchers and voiced high hopes for Chinese young mechanics scholars.

The exchange consolidated academic ties between the School of Aerospace Engineering and IUTAM. Moving forward, the school will keep strengthening international academic collaborations to raise its global academic standing, foster outstanding research talents and promote high-quality disciplinary development.