Global climate expert returns to China after decades in Europe

A fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has returned to China and joined Tsinghua University’s earth system science department.

After more than three decades in Europe, leading climate expert and fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Chen Deliang has returned to China to take up a full-time position at Tsinghua University.

Chen was one of the world’s most cited researchers in 2023 and is known internationally for his extensive and influential climate research.

Chen has led many major international research projects and was one of the coordinating lead authors of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His research interests include global environmental change, atmospheric circulation, climate dynamics and modelling, and he was a pioneer in the development of “downscaling”, the modelling method which has become central to climate prediction and research.

He is also lead scientist of the Third Pole Environment (TPE) programme, which coordinates interdisciplinary studies into the links between the atmosphere, water, cryosphere, ecology and humanity.

More than 100 researchers from around the world are involved in the TPE study, which is focused on the Third Pole region, a mountainous area to the west and south of the Tibetan Plateau known as the “Asian water tower”.

Chen joins a growing list of Chinese expatriates who have left distinguished careers overseas and returned to China, which has stepped up its efforts to lure international talent back to the country in recent years.

Source: South China Morning Post, 18 Nov 2024. https://www.scmp.com/…/global-climate-expert-chen…