A world- leading hydrology professor returns to Vietnam after 30 years of research in Europe.

After three decades of being considered a "secret weapon" in Europe's flood forecasting and prevention efforts, Professor Xu Chongwu shared that he wants to directly contribute to solving the water resource problem in the context of increasing climate change.

His welcoming ceremony was held on December 3rd at North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (NCWU) in Zhengzhou – a city still bearing the scars of the historic 2021 floods.

Rector Liu Jun Guo stated that Professor Xu Chong Wu is the first international-level expert the university has recruited on a full-time basis. This is also a bold move by the scientist as he leaves his long-term tenured professorship at the University of Oslo (Norway) and membership in the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Literature.

“China’s water conservancy industry is facing many serious challenges under the impact of climate change. The decision to return to my country and join the university is not only a career choice but also a new beginning, so that I can contribute what I have accumulated throughout my life to my homeland,” Professor Xu said at the ceremony.

Professor Tu.jpg
Professor Xu Chongwu said that the decision to attend a university in China was a new beginning, allowing him to contribute his lifelong knowledge, research, and experience to his homeland. Photo: SCMP

NCWU is a university jointly established by the Ministry of Water Resources and Henan Province, focusing on advanced training and research in the field of water engineering.

According to Principal Liu Jun Guo, Professor Xu is one of the world's leading hydrology experts, with systematic and pioneering contributions to the study of hydrological variability under the impact of climate change.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post , Professor Xu confirmed that he had officially resigned as a professor at the University of Oslo to take on a new role at NCWU. “I no longer have a working relationship with the University of Oslo; however, the university retains my title of ‘honorary professor’ in recognition of my more than 20 years of dedication and contributions,” he stated.

Explaining why he chose NCWU among many other institutions that offered him positions, he said it is one of China's top three training institutions in the field of water conservancy, with a solid academic foundation and distinct strengths in water resources and environmental research – areas closely related to his research direction.

From outstanding student to world-class expert

Professor Xu was born in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province. In 1978, he passed the entrance exam to Nanjing University with the highest score in the district, majoring in hydrology and water resources engineering.

After graduating in 1982, he began working as an engineer at the Ministry of Water Resources. In 1986, he was sent to the Free University of Brussels (VUB) in Belgium to pursue a master's degree, and later continued his doctoral studies there.

In 1993, he became the first Chinese person to receive the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Young Scientist Research Award.

After completing his PhD, he taught and conducted research at VUB and Uppsala University (Sweden). Since 2005, he has held the position of Professor of Hydrology in the Department of Geology, University of Oslo.

Professor Tu's research focuses on global environmental change and hydrological responses, hydrological simulation in different climate zones, water resource management, and flood forecasting. The water balance models he developed have been applied in Denmark, Belgium (Flanders), and Sweden, becoming important tools in assessing water resources under the impacts of climate change.

More recently, he has expanded his research to include the hydrological characteristics of major rivers in China, including the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, and the optimization of large-scale reservoir operation.

For over 20 years, he collaborated with numerous domestic research institutions such as Wuhan University, Nanjing University, Hohsai University, the Institute of Geography and Natural Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Oceanography, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Institute.

In 2016, he was elected to the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Literature, the country's highest scientific body. Two years later, he became a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Technology. In 2022, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nordic Hydrological Society.

To date, Professor Tu has published over 600 scientific papers with more than 30,000 citations.

“Returning to my homeland has always been an important part of my career plan. The strategic needs in water resource management, climate change response, and environmental protection in China in recent years have given me the opportunity to contribute more to the country,” he shared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nha-khoa-hoc-hang-dau-ve-lu-lut-tu-chuc-giao-su-o-chau-au-de-hoi-huong-giang-day-2471977.html