Laboratory Mission

The National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Health Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering at Shenzhen University focuses on major national strategic needs. Its research is centered on original theories and core technologies for the construction, operation, and maintenance of deep underground engineering projects in fields such as energy development, mineral extraction, water conservancy and transportation infrastructure, underground space development, and low-carbon new energy.

The Laboratory is committed to providing essential theoretical and technological support for the realization of China’s strategic objectives in major deep-earth, deep-sea, and deep-space engineering projects.

Historical Development

The Laboratory was reorganized on the basis of the former State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering.

In March 2023, the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Health Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering was officially approved for establishment. It is jointly developed by China University of Mining and Technology, Shenzhen University, and Sichuan University.

Organizational Structure

The Laboratory operates under a director-responsibility system guided by its Governing Council.

Professor Xie Heping, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, serves as Director of the State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering. Professors Zhu Jianbo and Li Cunbao serve as Deputy Directors of the Shenzhen University branch of the Laboratory.

Personnel

The Shenzhen University branch of the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Health Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering currently has 62 permanent staff members, including one academician, five recipients of major high-level talent programs, and ten recipients of major young-talent programs.

The Laboratory has established a well-structured talent development system characterized by leadership from distinguished experts, support from experienced researchers, and a strong reserve of promising young scholars. This structure provides a solid human-resource foundation for the Laboratory’s high-quality development.

Research Areas

In response to major national strategic needs, the Shenzhen University branch of the Laboratory focuses on the following research areas:Dynamic and static rock mechanics in deep underground engineering;Deep geothermal energy and clean-energy development;Material design and intelligent construction for deep underground engineering;In-situ fluidized mining technologies for deep-earth resources;Fidelity-preserving coring and mineral exploration in deep-space and deep-sea environments.

Through sustained research and multidisciplinary collaboration, the Laboratory is dedicated to addressing critical scientific and engineering challenges and supporting China’s major strategic needs as well as global energy and environmental initiatives.

Major Achievements

The Laboratory was the first to propose the innovative “Five-Preservation Coring” concept, which aims to preserve temperature, pressure, quality, moisture, and light conditions during coring.

Based on this concept, the Laboratory completed the integrated development of the principles, technologies, and equipment for the In-Situ Fidelity-Preserving Coring and Testing and Analysis System for Deep Rocks. The system passed the acceptance review of the National Natural Science Foundation of China in August 2024. This achievement filled a global technological gap in the in-situ measurement of the intrinsic physical and mechanical properties of rocks in deep engineering environments.

The Laboratory also independently developed the world’s first dynamic true-triaxial electromagnetic Hopkinson bar experimental testing system.

Major original innovations have been achieved in several areas, including:Control methods and technologies for the main dynamic true-triaxial electromagnetic Hopkinson bar system;Synchronous loading methods and technologies for six-directional electromagnetic stress pulses along three axes;Coupled dynamic–static loading methods and technologies in three axial and six directional configurations;Dynamic, real-time capture, acquisition, and analysis of multivariate experimental data.

These achievements have filled a global gap in experimental methods for three-dimensional rock dynamics research.

The Laboratory proposed a disruptive principle and technology for the direct in-situ electrolysis of seawater for hydrogen production without prior desalination. Related findings have been published in leading international journals, including Nature and Nature Communications, and were selected as one of the Top Ten Advances in Science in China by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

These original achievements have attracted extensive attention and in-depth coverage from authoritative international media outlets and academic communication platforms, generating broad influence in the global deep-earth research community.

The international journal Energy Reviews, founded by the Laboratory and published by Elsevier, passed the evaluation of the Web of Science Editorial Committee under Clarivate and was officially indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). In 2025, it was also included in the Chinese Science and Technology Core Journal Catalogue.

To promote academic leadership and interdisciplinary integration, the Laboratory has established the Zhida Forum and the Deep Underground Interdisciplinary Innovation Forum. These forums are dedicated to carrying forward the academic ideas and exemplary qualities of distinguished Chinese mechanics scholar Professor Chen Zhida and other pioneering educators.

They advocate interdisciplinary collaboration, original innovation, integration, and joint development, with the aim of promoting and leading the advancement of relevant disciplines.