On May 6, 2025, the first academic annual conference of the Northwest University (NWU)-University of Hong Kong (HKU) Joint Center for Earth and Planetary Sciences was held at NWU’s Taibai Campus. Over 20 scholars and experts attended the event, including HKU professors LIU Zhonghui, ZHANG Jian, YAO Zhonghua, and ZHANG Binzheng, alongside NWU Academicians ZHANG Guowei, SHU Degan, and ZHAO Guochun, President SUN Qingwei, faculty representatives, and students.
Academician ZHAO Guochun, Director of the Joint Center, delivered the annual work report. He noted that over the past year, the joint research teams from NWU and HKU had achieved productive collaboration in planetary geological evolution, astrobiology, and other fields. The teams actively contributed to national deep-space exploration missions such as “Chang’e” and “Tianwen”, publishing seven papers in Nature and Science subsidiary journals. In talent cultivation, one researcher received the European Geosciences Union (EGU) Outstanding Young Scientist Award, two were supported by provincial talent programs, and one was appointed as a Mok Sau King Foundation Professor. Moving forward, the Joint Center will leverage the complementary strengths of both universities in research platforms and talent resources, focusing on critical scientific issues such as Earth’s formation and lunar soil studies, aiming for breakthroughs in national major scientific missions.
During the academic report session, experts from HKU, NWU, and related research institutions delivered reports on cutting-edge topics including the redox environment of lunar soil, space weathering processes, Martian habitability evolution, and Venusian surface remodeling. The reports overed analyses of “Chang’e” lunar samples, the “Zhurong” Mars rover exploration, and geological evolution of Venus. Experts also exchanged ideas on talent cultivation, discipline development, and academic collaboration, offering suggestions for the Joint Center’s future growth.
