Gao Jingde specialized in new theories and new technologies of power systems, operation and control in the modern history of China. He was born in February 1922, in Jia County, Shanxi Province. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Northwestern Polytechnical University, and taught at the College of Engineering at Peking University before the liberation. In 1952, Gao went to pursue his degree of Candidate of Sciences in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Kalinin Polytechnic Institute in Leningrad of the former Soviet Union.

In 1956, with his thesis on the “study of salient pole synchronous motor utilized in long-distance power transmission system”, he was awarded a doctorate degree of technical science, and became the first Chinese scholar who had obtained a doctorate degree in the Soviet Union. In 1956, he returned to China and started teaching at the Department of Electrical Engineering in Tsinghua University, as the only doctoral adviser in Tsinghua University that managed two disciplines, electrical engineering and electrical power. He worked successively as the member of the Party Standing Committee of Tsinghua University, Director of the Department of Science and Production, and in 1963, he was elected as the representative of the 3rd National People's Congress.

In 1978, Gao Jingde started work as the Vice-President of Tsinghua University, Member of the Party Committee of the University, Deputy Director/Secretary General of the Academic Degree Committee of the University, Deputy Director/Secretary General of the Academic Committee of the University, and at the same time as the Head of the Research Department of the University, Head of the Graduate Affairs Office. In 1983, he successively worked as the President of Tsinghua University, Director of the School Board, Chair of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of Tsinghua University, Honorary Deputy Director of School Board. He served as a member of the 5th, 6th, and 7th Standing Committee of the Central Committee of China Democratic League, member of the 7th and 8th CPPCC and member of the 8th Standing Committee, member of the 1st and 2nd Academic Degree Committee of State Council, Convener of Electrical Engineering of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Discipline Appraisal Group, member of the National Evaluation Committee of Inventions, Bureau Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Standing Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Department of Technical Science, Standing Committee and Honorary Member of the 3rd and 4th China Association for Science and Technology, Chairperson of the 1st and 2nd China Electrotechnical Society, Deputy Chairperson of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Chinese Society of Electrical Engineering, Chief Editor of Books on Modern Power System, Director of the Editorial Committee for the volume of Electrical Engineering of Encyclopedia of China, Associate Editor for Science China and Science Bulletin, Chairperson of the Editorial Committee for Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society and Journal of Electrical Technology, Chief Scientist of the project “New theory and new technology of operation and control of the modern electric power system” supported by the National “Climbing” Program, and the President of the China Senior Professors Association.

In 1980 Gao Jingde was selected, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)’s Academic Board, and in 1985 a Fellow of IEEE. He was also listed in Who’s Who in the World published overseas. The awards he has been granted include the IEEE Centennial Medal, 2nd Class National Natural Science Awards, first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, honorary certificate for the editing and publication of The Encyclopedia of China, first prize of the National Outstanding Books of Science and Technology, Award of Excellence-- the highest honor granted by Golden Ball Award, Hong Kong Burlingame (China) Education Foundation, and the first class Teaching Achievement Award of Beijing.

In the field of electrical engineering, Gao Jingde explored and developed the Motor Complex Components theory and Motor Dynamic Process Theory. He innovated the studies of alternative current motor’s self-excitation induced by the cascade of capacitors. He started and developed the theory and application of power system control, and proposed the motor multi-loop theory. He also developed the new method for the identification and estimation of motor parameters, and the new method of digital simulation of transition processes of the power systems. He improved the physical model laboratory of the power systems. The State Key Laboratory of Safety Control and Simulation of Power System and large power generation equipment was built under his leadership, which pushed forward the research and development of new disciplines of power electronics. His theoretical insight, his exploration in new research areas and his innovation in research fields pushed forward the development of electrical engineering in China.