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In February 2025, the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) welcomed Professor Jean Salençon, a distinguished scholar in continuum mechanics and an HKIAS Senior Fellow. During his visit, he delivered an engaging HKIAS Distinguished Lecture, guiding the audience through the historical developments of a theory that continues to shape modern engineering.

Titled “About Tresca’s Memoirs on the Fluidity of Solids (1864-1871): The Birth and the History of the Mathematical Theory of Plasticity,” the lecture shed light on Henri-Édouard Tresca’s pioneering discoveries. Tresca’s insight—that metals can behave like fluids under extreme pressure—laid the foundation for the mathematical study of Plasticity. Professor Salençon traced how Tresca’s seminal ideas were enriched by the contributions of such great minds as Beltrami, Huber, von Mises and Moreau, among others, shaping a framework that connects physics, engineering, and mathematics.

To conclude, Professor Salençon highlighted the unavoidable nexus between experiments, modelling and validation, shaped by the mathematical context available at the time. This led him to question about the potential contribution of artificial intelligence to the advancement of material science and structural engineering. His discussion blended historical insights with future possibilities, sparking lively discussions among attendees. The event, moderated by Professor Yong Yang from CityUHK’s Mechanical Engineering Department and supported by the Kwang Hua Educational Foundation, left the audience inspired. For more details about the lecture, please click .

Beyond the lecture hall, Professor Salençon’s visit further strengthened academic collaborations. Accompanied by Professor Jian Lu, Dean of the College of Engineering, he toured the CASM Nanostructured Metals and Ceramics Laboratory. During his visit, he engaged in discussions with faculty members from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, including Professor Jianguo Dai, Professor Xiaoqiao He, Professor Heung Fai Lam, and Ir Dr Fiona Kwok from The University of Hong Kong. Additionally, he met with CityUHK leadership, such as Vice-President (Research) Professor Anderson Shum and HKIAS Executive Director Professor Shuk Han Cheng, fostering interdisciplinary research opportunities.

His visit also aligned with the CityUHK Year of the Snake Chinese New Year Staff Party, where he enjoyed the celebrations such as a lion dance, lucky draw, and a taekwondo performance by students.

A leading figure in Continuum Mechanics, Professor Salençon’s credentials are remarkable—Honorary Professor at École Polytechnique and École nationale des ponts et chaussées, former president of the French Academy of Sciences, and author of about 240 publications, including 18 influential books. Yet his greatest impact lies in his ability to inspire, turning historical discoveries into stepping stones for future breakthroughs.