On August 31, the 1st China-Europe Youth AI Innovation Salon on Structural Engineering, (CEYAI-SE 2026) opened at the School of Civil Engineering(SCE), Southeast University.
With the theme “AI-Driven Structural Engineering: From Theory to Practice,” the Salon focused on cutting-edge applications and future developments of artificial intelligence in structural engineeringand aims to build an exchange platform for young faculty and students, as well as university and industry representatives from China and Europe. Over 100 experts and scholars from countries and regions including China, the United Kingdom, Italy, Hungary, and the United States attended the opening ceremony both online and onsite. The ceremony was chaired by Professor Xie Tianyu, Assistant Dean of SCE.
Prof. Xu Jian, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation at Southeast University, delivered the first welcome address, extending her greetings to the European young scholars who had traveled from afar. Subsequently, Prof. Tang Dinghua, Party Secretary of SCE, and Professor Gao Kang (Chinese project lead), gave speeches expressing their expectations for deepening youth academic cooperation between China and Europe. Dr. Raffaele Cucuzza from University College London (foreign project lead) and Professor Giuseppe Carlo Marano from Politecnico di Torino spoke onsite, while Associate Professor Amedeo Manuello from Politecnico di Torino joined online. All expressed their shared desire to strengthen exchanges among young researchers and promote the integration of AI with structural engineering.
During the keynote session, Professor Stergios Aristoteles Mitoulis from University College London and AssociateProfessor Amedeo Manuello from Politecnico di Torino delivered presentations on topics such as future urban resilience and resource‑efficient structural design.
It is learned that the Salon will organize a series of activities including interactive lectures, youth sharing sessions, laboratory visits, company tours, and cultural experiences, highlighting its international, youth‑oriented, and interdisciplinary character, and fostering in‑depth interaction and collaboration between young Chinese and European scholars in the field of AI and structural engineering.
