Announcement of the Conferment of Honorary Degrees on Professor Ze Zhang and Professor Thomas J. Sargent
宣佈頒授榮譽博士學位予張澤教授及湯瑪斯‧薩金特教授
Dear Colleagues and Students,
The University Council (UC) agreed at its 4th meeting of academic year 2024/2025 to the conferment of honorary degrees proposed by the UC members and the Senate. It was agreed to confer Doctor of Science honoris causa on Professor Ze Zhang, Doctor of Business Administration honoris causa on Professor Thomas J. Sargent. In accordance with Sub-item 2) of Article 13 and Sub-item 13) of Item 1 of Article 18 of the Charter of the University of Macau, the UC recommended to the Chancellor of the University candidates for the award of honorary degrees. The Chancellor approved on 11 July 2025 the above proposal for the conferment of honorary degrees.
To recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the two honorary degree recipients in their areas, the University will hold a ceremony for the conferment of honorary degrees on 30 November 2025 (Sunday).
Yours sincerely,
Rico Lam
Secretary, Honorary Degrees and Titles Committee
Introduction to the Two Honorary Degree Recipients
1. Professor Ze Zhang
Introduction
Professor Zhang is an expert in crystal structure in the field of materials science. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Jilin University in 1980 and completed his Ph.D. at the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR CAS) in 1987. He currently works as a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, chief scientist of the National Basic Research Program of China. His past positions also include President of China Association for Instrumental Analysis, President of the Chinese Electron Microscopy Society, and the President of the Committee of Asia Pacific Societies for Microscopy.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of materials science, he was elected as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001. Besides, Professor Zhang was a member of 9th, 10th and 11th of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. During February 2003 to September 2009, Professor Zhang served as Vice President of Beijing University of Technology (Principal Level). He is the author of more than 350 papers published on international peer reviewed journals including Nature, Science, Nature Materials, JACS, PRL, etc.
Professor Zhang’s pioneering research focuses on advancing the understanding of microstructures and their influence on physical properties. His key research interests include:
i) Investigating the relationship between microstructure and physical properties in low-dimensional nanostructures.
ii) Exploring the microstructure and defects in complex metallic alloy phases.
iii) Unraveling the growth mechanisms and microstructural evolution of nanostructures.
Professor Zhang’s work has significantly advanced the field of materials science and continues to shape the understanding of nanostructural behavior and their practical applications.
Justification for Nomination
Professor Zhang is a renowned authority in crystal structures within the field of materials science. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has received numerous prestigious national and ministerial-level science and technology awards, including First Class of “National Natural Science Awards”, Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Award, the China Young Scientist Award, “Qiushi Outstanding Young Scholar Award”, Beijing “Young Scientist Awards”, “National Science & Technology Awards for Young Scientists” and National “C. S. Wu Physics Awards, underscoring his significant contributions to the discipline.
Since 2019, Professor Zhang has served as a valued member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering. His insightful recommendations were instrumental in the creation of a new Master’s programme, the Master of Science in Innovative Materials, which was launched in the 2022/2023 academic year. Under his guidance, the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering (IAPME) has continued to excel. In December 2023, he was appointed Chair of the Academic Advisory Board, further solidifying his leadership role in advancing the institute’s mission. Professor Zhang’s vision and expertise have not only shaped the future of materials science education but have also propelled IAPME to new heights of academic and research excellence, achieving remarkable research outcomes in both quality and quantity.
Professor Zhang was also invited to UM to deliver public lecture titled “Veritas, Innovation, Civilization & Progress” in 2024 to discuss the impact of X-rays on the progress of human civilisation from 1895 to the present day. The talk was well attended by students and faculty of UM and local secondary schools, as well as members of the public. He also participated in the “Smart City Sustainable Development Seminar” in 2018 and 2024, where he and other experts discussed key scientific issues related to the sustainable development of smart cities, integrating cutting-edge theories and technologies across disciplines to provide solid theoretical and technical support for the sustainable development strategies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the nation. Over the years, Professor Zhang has been closely associated with UM, actively promoting the development of UM in the field of materials science.
2. Professor Thomas J. Sargent
Introduction
Professor Thomas J. Sargent is a prominent economist renowned for his contributions to expectations and monetary economics. He earned his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Currently, he serves as the William R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Business at New York University, a position he has held since 2002.
Professor Sargent’s previous academic roles include tenures at the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, and Stanford University, along with being a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution since 1987. Professor Sargent is a key figure in the “rational expectations revolution,” influencing new classical macroeconomics through his extensive publications, including “Rational Expectations and Econometric Practice” and “Recursive Macroeconomic Theory“. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2011, shared with Professor Christopher A. Sims, for their empirical research on macroeconomic cause and effect. His accolades also include the Nemmers Prize in Economics, the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing, and the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award. Professor Sargent is past President of the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society and the Society for Economic Dynamics. Professor Sargent was elected to a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1983.
He is currently involved in the Sargent Institute of Quantitative Economics and Finance at Peking University HSBC Business School, focusing on modern computational tools for economics, and is known for his engaging teaching style and mentorship of many prominent economists.
Justification for Nomination
Professor Sargent was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2011. His areas of expertise include macroeconomics, monetary economics, and time series econometrics. Professor Sargent is a distinguished economist whose pioneering research has made significant contributions to the field of economics. His work on rational expectations and macroeconomics has had a profound influence on economic behaviour and policy-making. His research studies are widely cited and applied in economic policy and academic research. He has also published a substantial body of influential research papers that have significantly advanced the understanding of economic behaviour and played a pivotal role in the development of the field. Professor Sargent’s academic influence is far-reaching, and he is highly regarded as a leading figure in contemporary economics.
In June 2017, Professor Sargent joined Peking University HSBC Business School and established the “Sargent Institute of Quantitative Economics and Finance”, where he has served as director ever since. The institute brings together international research teams and faculty from the business school, dedicated to advancing theoretical innovation and applied research in quantitative economics and finance in China, while fostering exchanges between Chinese scholars and leading global experts in these fields. In 2024, he was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award.
Professor Sargent visited University of Macau in November 2024. During the visit, he delivered a public lecture on “Sources of Artificial Intelligence”. He also engaged with UM faculty, students, alumni, community leaders, industry professionals, and members of the public, which not only enriched the University’s academic atmosphere but also enhanced its scholarly reputation. In addition, Professor Sargent also participated in the Advisory Board meeting of the Faculty of Business Administration, where he provided strategic advice on the faculty’s overall development, bringing significant benefits to UM.
各位同事、各位同學：
澳門大學校董會（以下簡稱「校董會」）於2024/2025學年的第四次會議同意校董會成員及教務委員會對頒授榮譽學位人選的提名，頒授榮譽理學博士學位予張澤教授、榮譽工商管理博士學位予湯瑪斯‧薩金特教授。按《澳門大學章程》第十三條（二）項及第十八條第一款（十三）項的規定，校董會向大學校監推薦頒授榮譽學位名單。校監已於2025年7月11日批准上述頒授榮譽學位的建議。
為表彰獲頒授榮譽學位的兩位傑出人士於各自領域之卓越成就，本校將於2025年11月30日（星期日）舉行學位頒授儀式。
榮譽學位及榮譽名銜委員會秘書
林朗為
兩位獲頒授榮譽學位人士之簡介
1. 張澤教授
簡介
張澤教授是著名材料科學領域晶體結構方面的專家。他於1980年在吉林大學獲得理學學士學位，並於1987年在中國科學院金屬研究所獲得博士學位。張教授現任浙江大學材料科學與工程學院教授、國家重點基礎研究發展計劃首席科學家。曾任中國分析測試協會理事長、中國電子顯微鏡學會理事長和亞太電子顯微學會委員會理事長。
他在材料科學領域的傑出貢獻獲得認可，於2001年當選為中國科學院院士。另外，張教授曾是第九屆、第十屆、第十一屆中國人民政治協商會議全國委員會委員。2003年2月至2009年9月期間，張教授擔任北京工業大學副校長（正校級）。他在《自然》、《科學》、《自然-材料》、《美國化學會志》和《物理評論快報》等國際同行評審期刊上發表了超過350篇論文。
張教授的開創性研究集中於促進對微觀結構及其對物理性質影響的認識。他的主要研究方向包括：
1）研究低維納米結構中微觀結構和物理性質的關係；
2）研究複雜金屬合金相中的微觀結構和缺陷；
3）揭示納米結構的生長機制和微觀結構演變。
張教授的研究成果極大促進了材料科學領域的發展，並繼續影響人類對納米結構行為及其實際應用的理解。
提名理由
張教授是材料科學晶體結構的知名權威學者。在其卓越的研究生涯中，他獲得了許多享有盛譽的國家和部級的科技類獎項，包括國家自然科學獎一等獎、何梁何利基金科學技術獎、中國青年科學家獎、求是傑出青年獎、北京市青年科學家獎、中國青年科技獎和吳健雄物理獎，凸顯他對該學科的重大貢獻。
自2019年以來，張教授一直是應用物理及材料工程研究院學術委員會的重要成員。他提出了富有洞察力的建議，推動澳門大學創新材料理學碩士學位課程的設立，該課程於2022/2023學年成功正式開辦。在他的指導下，澳門大學應用物理及材料工程研究院保持卓越。2023年12月，他被任命為學術委員會主任，進一步鞏固他在踐行研究院使命中的領導作用。張教授的遠見和專業知識不僅塑造了材料科學教育的未來，還推動應用物理及材料工程研究院在學術和研究方面達到更高的卓越度，在研究質量和數量上都取得了傑出的成果。
2024年，張教授受邀來澳大發表題為“求是創新，文明進步”的公開演講，探討X射線從1895年至今對人類文明、創新進步的影響，講座吸引一眾澳大和澳門中學師生及公眾人士參與。張教授還於2018年和2024年來澳大參加“智慧城市可持續發展研討會”，會上他和其他專家深入探討與智慧城市持續發展相關的重點科學問題，藉此結合跨領域的前沿理論與技術，為粵港澳大灣區及國家的持續發展戰略提供堅實的理論及技術支撐。多年來，張教授與澳大保持緊密聯繫，積極推動澳大在材料科學領域的發展。
2. 湯瑪斯‧薩金特教授
簡介
湯瑪斯‧薩金特教授是傑出的經濟學家，在理性預期理論及貨幣經濟學方面的貢獻享有盛譽。他於加州大學柏克萊分校取得學士學位，於哈佛大學獲得博士學位。自2002年起至今，擔任紐約大學威廉‧柏克利經濟和商業講座教授。
薩金特教授曾在明尼蘇達大學、芝加哥大學及史丹福大學等學府任教，並自1987年成為胡佛研究所高級研究員。作為“理性預期革命”的核心人物，其發表了多部著作，如Rational Expectations and Econometric Practice（《理性預期與計量經濟學實踐》）和Recursive Macroeconomic Theory（《遞歸宏觀經濟理論》），影響了新古典宏觀經濟學。2011年，他和基斯杜化‧西姆斯教授因宏觀經濟因果關係方面的實證研究共同獲得諾貝爾經濟學獎。他獲得的榮譽還包括內默斯經濟學獎、美國國家科學院科學評審獎和2024年度中國政府友誼獎。薩金特教授是美國經濟學會、計量經濟學會和經濟動態學會的前會長。1983年，薩金特教授當選為美國國家科學院院士和美國文理科學院院士。
目前他在北京大學滙豐商學院薩金特數量經濟與金融研究所工作，專注於現代經濟學計算工具，以其引人入勝的教學風格和對許多著名經濟學家的指導而聞名。
提名理由
薩金特教授於2011年獲得諾貝爾經濟學獎，其專業領域包括宏觀經濟學、貨幣經濟學和時間序列計量經濟學。作為一位傑出經濟學家，他的開創性研究對經濟學領域貢獻卓著。其在理性預期和宏觀經濟學上的研究成果深刻影響了經濟行為和政策制定。他的研究被廣泛引用並應用於制定經濟政策和開展學術研究。他還發表了大量有影響力的研究論文，極大促進了對經濟行為的理解，對推動該領域的發展發揮了關鍵作用。薩金特教授學術影響深遠，被高度評價為當代經濟學領軍人物。
薩金特教授於2017年6月加盟北京大學滙豐商學院，創建了“薩金特數量經濟與金融研究所”，並擔任研究所主任至今。研究所整合國際科研團隊與北大商學院師資，致力推動中國數量經濟學與金融學理論創新和應用研究，促進了中國學者與全球頂尖經濟金融領域專家的交流。2024年薩金特教授獲頒中國政府友誼獎。
薩金特教授於2024年11月訪問澳門大學。訪問期間，他發表了題為“人工智能的來源”的公開演講，與澳大師生、校友、社會賢達、業界人士以及公眾人士交流，不但豐富了大學的學術氛圍，還提升了澳大的學術聲譽。薩金特教授在訪校期間亦有參與工商管理學院的學院顧問委員會會議，就該學院的總體發展提供策略性意見，為澳大帶來莫大益處。