Recent news in the field of geoscience brings exciting updates. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has officially announced the list of 2025 honorees. Professor Liu Junguo from NCWU has been elected as an AGU Fellow for his outstanding contributions to the geosciences. This recognition marks another milestone in NCWU's efforts to build a high-caliber talent pool and advance the internationalization of scientific research. It also signifies that the academic influence of NCWU's related disciplines has been highly acknowledged by a leading international academic organization.
Established in 1919, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) is the world's largest and most influential academic organization for Earth and space scientists, with over 60,000 members from 135 countries. Its membership spans a wide range of disciplines, including hydrology, atmospheric and ocean sciences, solid Earth sciences, space science, and planetary sciences. The title of AGU Fellow is a prestigious honor conferred upon members who have demonstrated visionary leadership and outstanding achievements in the international Earth and space sciences. Each year, no more than 0.1% of the total membership is selected as Fellows. Qualifying contributions include, but are not limited to, achieving major scientific breakthroughs or discoveries, advancing scientific theory and technological innovation, developing novel research methods or instruments, and producing enduring and significant academic impact. In 2025, a total of 52 individuals worldwide were elected as AGU Fellows, following a rigorous and highly competitive selection process.
Professor Liu Junguo's election as an AGU Fellow is a testament to NCWU's sustained commitment to advancing global scientific frontiers, serving major national strategic needs, and continuously strengthening discipline development as well as talent recruitment and cultivation. This honor will further elevate NCWU's international reputation in related disciplines such as hydraulic engineering, geosciences, and environmental science. It will also inspire our researchers to pursue excellence, contributing more of NCWU's expertise to scientific and technological progress and sustainable development.
Liu Junguo's Profile:
Liu Junguo is a hydrologist and water resources expert. He is a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, a foreign member of the Academy of Europe, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He holds a bachelor's degree from North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (NCWU), a master's degree from the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, and a doctorate from the ETH Zurich. Currently, he serves as a professor at NCWU, the head of the Discipline Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Base for Water Resources Evolution and Intelligent Regulation, and the director of the Henan Key Laboratory of Hydrosphere and Watershed Water Security. He also holds concurrent positions as the vice-chair of the Chinese National Commission for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and the founding president/honorary president of the Society for Ecological Rehabilitation of Beijing.
Liu Junguo has long been engaged in hydrological and water resources research. Centering on the major strategic needs of national water security and ecological civilization construction, he has achieved systematic and original research outcomes in climate attribution of water resource evolution, water resource regulation, and river ecological restoration, garnering extensive attention and recognition from the academic community both domestically and internationally. He has led projects funded by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and the National Key Research and Development Program. His research has provided critical scientific and technological support for major national initiatives, including the construction of a water-saving society, the operation and scheduling of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and the ecological recovery of rivers and lakes. With over 300 academic papers published in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature, and Engineering, and the authorship of eight monographs, he has been repeatedly named among the world's most highly cited researchers, global top scientists, and China's most highly cited scholars. He has been honored with the Volker Medal, the highest academic achievement award in the field of hydrology, presented by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). As the first Chinese scholar to receive this honor, he has also been awarded the Paul A. Witherspoon Lecture by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Science Communication Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration, and the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the European Geosciences Union (EGU). Additionally, He has been awarded eight national and provincial honors, including the China Youth Science and Technology Award, as well as awards from national-level societies.