Ex-Dassault aerospace physicist leaves US for China to lead new energy research

Eminent computational physicist Chen Hudong – an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) – has left the United States after more than four decades to take up a full-time position in China.

Chen retired in April as scientific director of software multinational Dassault Systèmes, part of the French Dassault Group, which also boasts one of the world’s largest manufacturers of combat aircraft, including Mirages and Rafales.

The software industry veteran has joined the College of Energy Engineering (CEE) at the prestigious Zhejiang University in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, according to a recruitment notice that appeared on its website last month.

In the post, the CEE said it plans to set up a team that will be led by Chen to address the strategic needs of China’s energy transition and the development of digitalisation, informatisation and intelligence.

The team will research computational methods and software development to promote the deep integration of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence technologies in energy engineering.

Chen will also be contributing to the high-quality development of new energy and the cultivation of the country’s next generation of excellent talent, it said.