On May 30, the 5th Chinese IAHR-YPN Doctoral Forum and the 2nd "Converging Water Wisdom" National Academic Forum for Postgraduate Students from Water-Related Universities was successfully held at Wuhan University. The forum brought together over 150 invited experts, faculty members, and students from 25 universities, including Tsinghua University, Wuhan University, and Hohai University, to engage in in-depth discussions on the development of water-related disciplines.

Attendees at the opening ceremony included Derek Cai (IAHR Global Secretariat Beijing Office Manager) and Sally Feng (IAHR Membership Manager) from IAHR; Li Qiao (Director of the Graduate Work Department), Han Qi (Secretary of the Youth League Committee), Xu Sheng (Deputy Director of the Graduate Quality and Professional Degree Office of the Gradute School), Liu Pan (Dean of the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Yu Min and Zuo Zhixiang (both Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School), and Wu Jingwei (Deputy Dean of the School) from Wuhan University; and the three invited speakers, including Zeng Yuhong (Wuhan University), Shan Kaiyue (Tsinghua University) and Qiang Sheng (Hohai University).

Opening Ceremony

In his address, Derek Cai, on behalf of IAHR, extended congratulations on the successful organization of the forum. He noted that the IAHR Global Secretariat Beijing Office serves as an important window connecting China, the Asia-Pacific region, and the international hydro-environmental academic community, and has long been committed to fostering the education and training of young professionals and students. He gave a brief introduction of IAHR, with a focus on the special activities for the young generations and the IAHR events to be organized during 2026 and 2027.

Li Qiao emphasized in his opening speech that graduate education is a vital cornerstone of national development and social progress. Wuhan University has always placed graduate education in a strategic position, adhering to the principle of fostering virtue and prioritizing quality improvement, continuously deepening educational and teaching reforms, and building interdisciplinary academic exchange platforms. He fully acknowledged the series of graduate academic brands developed by the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering in collaboration with the State Key Laboratory, and expressed his hope that the forum would serve as an important platform for uniting young talent, promoting interdisciplinary integration, and advancing water conservancy efforts.

Liu Pan reviewed the 73-year history of the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering at Wuhan University and the work of the IAHR Wuhan University YPN since its establishment in 2011. He pointed out that major national strategies – such as major hydropower projects, the western route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and the new shipping channel for the Three Gorges Dam – have opened up vast opportunities for water-related disciplines. He encouraged young students to keep in mind the nation’s most important goals, scale new academic heights, and write their “youth theses” on China’s great rivers.

Invited Presentations

During the invited presentation session, Shan Kaiyue (Tsinghua University), Qiang Sheng (Hohai University), and Zeng Yuhong (Wuhan University) delivered outstanding keynote reports.

Shan Kaiyue presented a report titled “Extreme Disaster Evolution: Observational Evidence, Simulation Tools, and Applications,” focusing on extreme disaster risks, seasonal advances in global super typhoons, typhoon track modeling, and the disaster impacts of northward-moving typhoons. She guided the audience to understand the importance of extreme disaster research for hydraulic engineering safety and disaster prevention/mitigation.

Qiang Sheng shared “Key Technologies and Applications for Green and Intelligent Crack Prevention in Large Coastal Pump Station Concrete.” Addressing the construction needs of large pump stations in coastal cities, he demonstrated the practical pathways for hydraulic structure research to serve major engineering projects, covering concrete temperature control and crack prevention, coastal durability control, green anticorrosive materials, and intelligent construction and engineering applications.

Zeng Yuhong delivered a presentation titled “Study on the Hydraulic Transport Mechanism and Mathematical Model of Living Organisms,” focusing on the hydraulic transport processes of typical biological particles in river systems – such as fish eggs, plant seeds, zooplankton, and fish larvae. She introduced recent advances in mathematical modeling in this field, with applications including ecological regulation, habitat assessment, and riparian vegetation restoration.

Parallel Sessions

The forum featured five parallel sessions: “Hydrology and Water Resources,” “Hydraulics and River Dynamics,” “Hydraulic Structures and Hydropower,” “Agricultural Water Conservancy,” and “Smart Water Resources.” Graduate students from various universities delivered academic presentations on topics including climate change and water resource response, hydrodynamic processes in rivers, lakes and reservoirs, hydraulic structure safety and hydropower operation, agricultural water conservation and water-salt regulation, and digital twin and AI-empowered water resources. These presentations collectively showcased the latest research achievements of young scholars in the field of water science and engineering.

Hydrology and Water Resources Session focuses on cutting-edge topics such as climate change and water resource response, digital twins, and AI empowerment, participants presented innovative achievements in improved runoff forecasting, hydrological process simulation, and optimal water resource allocation, offering new ideas for basin water resource management and disaster prevention/mitigation.

Hydraulics and River Dynamics Session focuses on core issues such as hydrodynamic processes in rivers, lakes and reservoirs, sediment transport, and riverbed evolution, participants conducted extensive numerical simulations and physical experiments, providing key technical support for river management and flood control.

Hydraulic Structures and Hydropower Session addresses engineering challenges such as high dam safety, concrete temperature control and crack prevention, and optimal operation of hydroelectric units, participants reported the latest progress in intelligent monitoring, material improvement, and structural analysis, serving national hydropower engineering construction.

Agricultural Water Conservancy Session centers on agricultural water conservation, water-salt regulation, and intelligent irrigation, participants presented research results on crop water demand models, saline-alkali soil improvement, and smart irrigation devices, contributing to agricultural modernization and food security.

Smart Water Resources Session closely integrates new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing monitoring, participants explored application scenarios including digital twin basins, intelligent early warning and forecasting, and smart operation and maintenance of water projects, contributing young talent’s wisdom to the digital and intelligent transformation of water resources.

Closing Ceremony

At the closing ceremony, Sally Feng stated that the IAHR Secretariat would continue to support Chinese young professionals and students in integrating into the international academic community and expressed hope that more young friends would participate in IAHR activities. Professor Yang Yifan delivered a presentation on the 7th IAHR Young Professionals Congress, to be organized late this year.

After a rigorous review process, the forum awarded first, second, third prizes and an Outstanding Poster Award. Honorary certificates were presented to the award-winning students in recognition of their outstanding performance.

Wu Jingwei (Deputy Dean of the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan University), in his concluding remarks, highly commended the substantial academic achievements of the forum. He noted that from the cutting-edge guidance of the invited presentations to the in-depth discussions in the parallel sessions, the forum demonstrated interdisciplinary integration and the significant role of young researchers. He encouraged young students to integrate their personal research directions with major national needs, write their theses on the nation’s rivers, lakes and seas, and dedicate their youth to the extensive practice of building China into a strong water nation.

The forum was jointly organized by the Graduate Affairs Department of the CPC Wuhan University Committee, the Communist Youth League Committee of Wuhan University, the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering of Wuhan University, and the State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, with guidance and support from IAHR.

Before the forum opened, chairs or representatives of all the 11 YPNs in China gathered at a meeting to share their activities and experiences during the past year. These YPNs are hosted by Sichuan University, Tsinghua University, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Hohai University, Tianjin University, Wuhan University, Dalian University of Technology, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Xi’an University of Technology, Northwest A&F University, and China Three Gorges University.