The 2025 Tunnel and Underground Engineering Conference and the 25th Annual Meeting of the Tunnel and Underground Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society for Civil Engineering were held in Hefei, Anhui Province from October 24 to 27, 2025. Academician Chen Xiangsheng, President of our institute, led a delegation to attend the conference upon invitation. Centered on the theme “Green Construction in Deep Underground Tunnel Engineering,” the conference was jointly organized by the Tunnel and Underground Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society for Civil Engineering and Anhui University of Science and Technology. It gathered over 600 participants, including academicians, experts, representatives from leading enterprises, and scholars from universities worldwide. Attendees collectively explored new theories, technologies, new equipment, new processes, and new materials. The conference aimed to advance academic innovation and industrial upgrading, thereby supporting the high-quality development of China's tunnel and underground engineering sector.

As a specially invited keynote speaker at the conference, Academician Chen Xiangsheng delivered a keynote address titled “Recent Advances and Reflections on Tunnel Engineering in China” on behalf of the Shenzhen University team. The presentation systematically reviewed China's advancements in tunnel engineering over the past two decades, covering theoretical frameworks, technological innovations, equipment development, and intelligent applications. Building upon this foundation, it proposed key considerations: Future tunnel engineering must transcend traditional paradigms by advancing mutual perception between geological formations and structures, implementing system resilience design, and achieving interdisciplinary integration within underground space domains.

Professor Fu Yanbin chaired the organization of this Shenzhen University sub-forum—the “Resilient Tunneling and Digital-Intelligent Innovation Technology Forum.” The sub-forum specially invited Professors Wang Shimin, Zheng Xiangzou, and Liu Xian, along with Associate Professor Ma Jianjun, to serve as co-hosts. Fifteen faculty members and experts from Shenzhen University, Tongji University, Sun Yat-sen University, Southwest Jiaotong University, East China Jiaotong University, China University of Mining and Technology, and other universities and research institutions delivered outstanding presentations on their respective research achievements.

Professor Su Dong, Professor Wang Shuying, Professor Zheng Xiangcou, Associate Professor Zhao Debo, Assistant Professor Shen Xiang, Assistant Professor Qiu Tong, Assistant Professor Cao Chengyong, Assistant Professor Shen Jun, as well as postdoctoral researchers Bai Xuedong, Zhang Nan, Wu Wang, and Xu Ziyao delivered presentations at this conference. Their topics included: “Full-Scale Test Platform for Tunnel Lining Structures Based on an Assembled Reaction System: Design and Validation,” “Mechanism and Control Technology for Intermittent Graded Slurry Ejection in Shield Tunneling,” “Probabilistic Prediction of Rock Mass Grade Based on TBM Excavation Parameters and Intelligent Cutter Wear Sensing Method,” “Numerical Analysis of Dynamic Performance of Shield Tunnel Structures Under Terrorist Explosion Loads,” “Innovative Technologies and Practices for Efficient Cutting of Complex Media in Ultra-Large Diameter Shield Tunneling,” “Synergistic Enhancement Mechanism and Control Methods for ‘Force-Intelligence-Carbon’ in Prefabricated Underground Structures,” “Analysis of Deformation and Load-Carrying Characteristics of Ultra-Deep Circular Shafts in Intercity Railway Shield Tunnels,” “Research on Evolution Mechanisms and Resilience of Shield Tunnel Seismic Damage Considering Degradation Effects,” “AI-Based Performance Prediction for Shield Construction Under Loess Adhesion,” “Intelligent Prediction and Identification of Shield/TBM Cutter Wear,” “Study on Correction of First- and Third-Class Temperature Boundaries by Conjugate Heat Transfer Between Brine-Frozen Pipes and Soil,” and “Intelligent Monitoring and Control Methods for Sand-Filling Foundation of Immersed Tube Tunnels.” These presentations showcased their comprehensive innovation achievements spanning fundamental research, intelligent technologies, and engineering practice in the tunnel and underground engineering field, facilitating in-depth exchanges with attending experts and scholars.

Faculty and students from Shenzhen University's Future Underground City Research Institute actively participated in and contributed to this conference, with their shared research receiving widespread recognition and high praise from attending experts and peers.

Contributed by: He Xu

Photographs by: He Xu

First Review: Chen Peiqi

Second Review: Su Dong

Third Review: Yang Lei