Global climate expert Chen Deliang returns to China after decades in Europe

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 has left his position as assistant head of the department of earth sciences at the University of Gothenburg – where he has worked since 1993 – to join Tsinghua’s department of earth system science.

According to an article published by his new department, a welcome ceremony was held on November 1, which included a speech from department head Luo Yong who expressed his “warmest welcome and high respect to Dr Chen”.

Chen – who made the Reuters Hot List of the top 1,000 climate scientists in 2021 and was one of the world’s most cited researchers in 2023 – is known internationally for his extensive and impactful climate research.

Chen’s 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.

While Chen has been firmly established overseas for decades, the 63-year-old Chinese-Swedish scientist has also been involved in development of meteorological research in China.