Peking University and IIASA advance plans for a new Centre on Global Change and Health

The seminar was co-chaired by Professor Tong Zhu from PKU and Fabian Wagner, IIASA Capacity Development and Academic Training (CDAT) Director. Josephine Borghi, who leads IIASA’s Health, Ageing, and Health Systems Research Group, supported the hosting. Participants included faculty and researchers from Peking University, including Shiqiu Zhang, Jicheng Gong, and Yue Qin (School of Environmental Science and Engineering), Tao Xue (School of Public Health), Jin Xu (China Development Research Foundation), and Chi Zhang (Institute of Population Studies), as well as representatives from IIASA, including Shonali Pachauri and Gregor Kiesewetter (Energy, Climate, and Environment Program), Marta Kozicka and Gemma Gerber (Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program), Josephine Borghi (Population and Just Societies Program), and Michael Kuhn (Economic Frontiers Research Group).

A key focus of the discussion was how to move the collaboration forward in a practical and well-coordinated way. Participants agreed that the Centre should establish a framework for collaboration and management including agreement on priority research topics of joint interest. Professor Zhu emphasized that setting up the platform promptly and clarifying the Centre’s main focus will help the partnership develop smoothly and avoid unnecessary delays.

Researchers from both institutions presented ongoing research and identified areas where collaboration could produce strong scientific synergy. The exchanges covered topics including the health impacts of air pollution, links between climate action, nutrition and health, the effects of extreme weather on health and health services, and the use of systems modeling approaches to support evidence-based assessment. Participants also discussed how digital tools and AI could strengthen climate risk reduction and improve decision-making in public health.

The seminar further contributed to preparations for an upcoming Global Change and Health Satellite Conference in Beijing, which is intended to bring together expertise from both institutions and beyond, to refine collaboration themes and formats, and further identify ways to translate research into real-world outcomes.

Overall, the seminar marked an important step in PKU–IIASA cooperation, reaffirming both institutions’ commitment to sustained engagement and coordinated progress toward establishing the proposed Centre.