Group photo of conference participants

On the highly anticipated day of November 15th, 2023, UIC hosted top academics from across Mainland of China and Hong Kong SAR of China for the “Conference on Transport and Supply Chain Resilience and Digital Transformation”. Experts and scholars gathered to share and discuss cutting-edge research and findings on the topic, with the added benefits of networking with like-minded individuals and promoting future research innovation and business ventures.

Group photo of Research Student Forum participants

The Research Student Forum began the day’s discourse, as seven talented research students from universities across the country gathered to share their findings related to the conference’s theme. Topics involving green shipping, cyber-attacks, disaster adaptation, and international relations were presented and discussed in-depth for more than two hours. Meanwhile, a campus tour was provided for the honorary guests who were interested in exploring UIC’s stunning design and state-of-the-art facilities.

At the Research Student Forum

Prof. Patrick CHAU, UIC Provost and Chair Professor

Prof. JIA Weijia, UIC Vice President for Research and Development, Dean of Graduate School, and Chair Professor

Prof. Adolf NG, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management as well as Chairman of the conference

Following a welcome lunch, guests gathered in UIC’s alluring Council Chamber, where the conference would be held. As the master of ceremony, Prof. Andy LIU introduced Prof. Patrick CHAU, UIC Provost and Chair Professor; Prof. JIA Weijia, UIC Vice President for Research and Development, Dean of Graduate School, and Chair Professor; and Prof. Adolf NG, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management as well as Chairman of the conference. In his opening remark, Prof. CHAU spoke of UIC and its remarkable achievements within its brief history. Next, Prof. JIA described the rapid research developments and resources the college has undergone and acquired recently. Finally, Prof. NG announced the purpose of the conference: to explore and quantify the risks and to develop a rational planning methodology for the resilience of transport systems, as well as to develop new theoretical and methodological frameworks in the research of transport and supply chain resilience in a world of digital transformation.

MC of Ceremony: Prof. Andy LIU (UIC, left);
Session Chairs: Prof. Zhongzhen YANG (Faculty of Maritime and Transportation at Ningbo University) (middle),
and Prof. Shiyuan ZHENG (School of Transportation at Shanghai Maritime University) (right)

The first session, chaired by Prof. Zhongzhen YANG (Faculty of Maritime and Transportation at Ningbo University), began with five separate speakers.

Prof. Ying-en GE (College of Transportation Engineering at Chang’an University)

Prof. Liehui WANG (School of Geographic Sciences at East China Normal University)

Prof. Peng JIA (Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Dalian Maritime University)

Dr. Huan JIN (School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China)

Dr. Liang MA (College of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University)

- Prof. Ying-en GE shared invaluable insight and advice on common issues of submissions to international scholarly journals that lead to high rates of rejection for Chinese researchers, along with advice for responding to review reports.

- Prof. Liehui WANG presented his research on the development vitality of 50 ports built, invested, or operated by China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

- Prof. Peng JIA provided an in-depth discussion on the high-dimensional graph modelling driven by the fusion of shipping emission data and its applications in comprehensive transportation technology innovation.

- Dr. Huan JIN presented her paper proposing a model for liner disruption recovery that reduces delays and costs while considering emission control area standards.

- Dr. Liang MA shared his review on travel behaviour and multimodality and the aim to contribute to strategies and policies that promote sustainable transportation systems.

Prof. Changmin JIANG (School of International Trade and Economics at the University of International Business and Economics)

Dr. Mengqiao XU (School of Economics and Management at Dalian University of Technology)

Dr. Dong YANG (Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Dr. Peimin CHEN (Faculty of Business and Management at UIC)

Dr. Kun WANG (Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

The second session, chaired by Prof. Shiyuan ZHENG, also involved five speakers.

- Prof. Changmin JIANG shared his economic analysis of the role of sustainable aviation fuel in CORSIA in comparison to the alternative option of purchasing carbon offset credits.

- Dr. Mengqiao XU presented her data-driven analysis of the global liner shipping system, including its structural organization along with both its structural and cascading vulnerabilities.

- Dr. Dong YANG shared the significance of port clusters and his research on advancing their identification through geographical adjacency and industrial relatedness by developing a two-layer model.

- Dr. Peimin CHEN discussed optimal control problems encountered in transportation and his efforts in finding solutions by seeking fast optimization algorithms in the field of big data.

- Dr. Kun WANG presented his research regarding adaptation projects on transport facilities, focusing on whether subsidy or persuasion policies are more effective in improving welfare.

Prof. Adolf Ng giving closing remarks

Following each of the ten presentations, members of the audience eagerly engaged in questions and discussion of the topic. The clock had hit 18:00 by the time the final discussion had ended, marking five hours of passionate discourse. To end the conference, Prof. Ng provided concluding remarks and graciously thanked all members for their fruitful contributions towards the success of such a long-awaited congregation.

Q&A Session