GeoX-GBA 2025: Greater Bay Area Scholars Explore Earth Science Frontiers at CUHK

GeoX-GBA 2025: Greater Bay Area Scholars Explore Earth Science Frontiers at CUHK

The Greater Bay Area Future Geosciences Symposium (GeoX-GBA 2025) was successfully held at CUHK on 6–7 December 2025 under the theme “Interdisciplinary Integration: Exploring the Earth System and Planets.”

The two-day symposium brought together over 100 scholars and students from more than 10 universities and institutions across the Greater Bay Area and mainland China, fostering vibrant exchanges on cutting-edge geoscience research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Liwen Jiang, CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who emphasized the importance of strengthening geoscience collaboration in the Greater Bay Area to address global challenges. Professor Hongfeng Yang, from CUHK’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Chair of the Organizing Committee, highlighted the symposium’s strategic role in nurturing young researchers and advancing regional scientific development.

Adding to the momentum, four leading scientists delivered plenary talks, showcasing recent advances in environmental challenges, atmospheric science, geophysics, and planetary science. These keynote presentations set the tone for a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary exchange, inspiring participants to explore new frontiers in Earth and planetary systems research.

On the second day, the symposium featured two parallel oral sessions, with 26 presentations covering a wide range of topics. A dedicated poster session further encouraged lively discussion and in-depth exchange, sparking new ideas and potential collaborations across diverse subfields of Earth and environmental sciences.

By the conclusion of the symposium, six presentations were recognized with Excellent Paper Awards, while two were honored with Outstanding Paper Awards. The accolades were presented by CAS Academician Professor Guochun Zhao from the University of Hong Kong, underscoring the symposium’s commitment to celebrating academic excellence and encouraging innovative research among emerging scholars.

A defining feature of GeoX-GBA 2025 was its student-led organization. The symposium was entirely planned and run by the student committee from CUHK’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, who took charge of agenda design, logistics, and technical support. Their efforts provided a cross-disciplinary platform for the future of Earth scientists in the Greater Bay Area, strengthening collaboration across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Professor Yang commended the student team for their professionalism and dedication. The event concluded with a memorable group photo of Academician Zhao Guochun, Professors Yang Hongfeng and Zhan Yan from CUHK, together with all student organizers, symbolizing the spirit of mentorship, collaboration, and future leadership in geosciences.

In addition to the support from the GBA University Alliance Exchange Events Fund, the symposium also received strong backing from the industrial sector, with contributions from Smart Earth Sensing, Sichuan Weibo Seismic Source Technology Co., Ltd., EGS (Asia) Ltd., and Guangdong Planetary Science Research Co., Ltd. Their support highlighted the growing synergy between academia and industry in advancing geoscience innovation.