On January 22, Tianjin University inaugurated its Earth System Engineering Research Center at the National Large-Scale Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Facility, marking a key step in interdisciplinary global sustainability research.
Over 60 experts, including 12 academicians, joined the ceremony themed "Shaping a Sustainable Future for the Earth System." Tianjin University President Chai Liyuan noted the center leverages the university’s century-old engineering strengths and interdisciplinary resources to address complex global challenges.
Led by CAS Academician Liu Congqiang, the center’s first director, the initiative focuses on Earth System Engineering—a cross-disciplinary field integrating natural sciences, engineering, economics, and management. Its core missions include building an international academic innovation hub, supporting national strategies like carbon neutrality, cultivating interdisciplinary "planetary generation" talents, and fostering global collaboration.
The center will prioritize five research areas: climate system guidance, ecosystem restoration, socio-technical metabolic system reconstruction, intelligent Earth system simulation, and planetary governance. With a strategic advisory committee of 24 Chinese and international academicians, it aims to bridge scientific research and societal practice, providing holistic solutions for sustainable development.
