History and Development

The Key Laboratory of Coastal Urban Soil-Water Environmental Evolution (hereafter, the “Key Laboratory” or the “Laboratory”) is led by Shenzhen University and jointly established with the Guangdong Shenzhen Ecological Environment Monitoring Center Station (GSEEMCS) and the Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS). Approved by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, it is a major provincial- and ministerial-level research platform.

Planning for the Key Laboratory began in May 2022. Following consultation and guidance from the relevant provincial and municipal authorities, as well as coordination with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the formal application was submitted in March 2023. In May 2025, the Ministry convened an expert panel for an on-site review at Shenzhen University. The Laboratory completed the on-site review and feasibility assessment in September 2025 and received formal approval from the Ministry in November 2025. In December 2025, it held its inaugural development meeting and established its first Academic Committee, officially launching the implementation phase.

In support of China’s national strategy for ecological civilization and the Beautiful China initiative, the Laboratory addresses the evolution of soil and water environments and the ecological governance challenges facing coastal megacities under intensive land and marine development. By integrating interdisciplinary research with technology development, the Laboratory provides scientific and technical support for ecological security and sustainable urban development.

Organizational Structure

Established under the guidance of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Laboratory is led by Shenzhen University and jointly supported by GSEEMCS and UPDIS. In response to the need for a deeper understanding of soil-water environmental evolution and more effective ecological risk management in rapidly developing coastal cities, the Laboratory is building an integrated research platform that spans fundamental research, technology development, pilot-scale demonstration, and the translation of research outcomes into practice.

The Laboratory operates under a two-tier governance structure comprising a management team and an Academic Committee. The management team sets development priorities, organizes major research initiatives, coordinates institutional resources, and oversees day-to-day operations.

Laboratory Management

Academician Chen Xiangsheng serves as Laboratory Director, and Professor Sun Xiaohui serves as Executive Deputy Director. Dong Zijun serves as Deputy Director representing Shenzhen University, while Xiong Xiangyun and Yu Lu serve as Deputy Directors representing GSEEMCS and UPDIS, respectively.

Academic Committee

The Academic Committee advises on the Laboratory’s research priorities, reviews and evaluates major projects, selects projects for open funding, and conducts annual academic evaluations. Through these functions, the Committee provides strategic academic guidance and helps ensure the quality and integrity of the Laboratory’s research.

Academician Wu Fengchang serves as Advisory Chair of the Academic Committee. Academicians Wu Minghong and Wang Hualin serve as Co-Chairs, and Academician Xi Beidou serves as Vice Chair.

Research Team

Led by Shenzhen University and jointly supported by GSEEMCS and UPDIS, the Laboratory combines the complementary strengths of a comprehensive university, an environmental monitoring agency, and an urban planning and engineering institute.

Academician Chen Xiangsheng of Shenzhen University serves as Laboratory Director. The research team includes 40 core members, among them three recipients of major national talent awards, including the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and the National High-Level Talent Special Support Program, as well as eight nationally recognized early-career scholars.

The Laboratory addresses ecological challenges arising from the rapid transformation of urban soil and water environments in intensively developed coastal cities. Its research examines the processes that govern soil-water environmental evolution in response to coastal urbanization and the large volumes of solid waste generated by construction and infrastructure development. The Laboratory also advances integrated land-sea environmental governance and coupled soil-water remediation through the beneficial use and safe disposal of urban construction waste. This work supports the development of resilient ecosystems in coastal megacities and provides a scientific foundation for ecological protection and high-quality urban development.

The Laboratory has built a multidisciplinary team led by academicians, supported by nationally recognized senior scholars, and strengthened by close collaboration among outstanding early-career researchers.

Table 1. Core Members of the Laboratory

Research Directions

The Laboratory focuses on coastal megacities and the ecological challenges associated with the rapid transformation of urban soil and water environments under intensive land and marine development. Its research systematically examines the processes that govern soil-water environmental evolution in response to coastal urbanization and the generation of high-volume solid wastes, including excavated soil, construction spoil, and dredged sediment.

Building on this foundation, the Laboratory develops integrated approaches to land-sea environmental governance and coupled soil-water remediation through the beneficial use and safe disposal of solid waste. Its goal is to strengthen ecological resilience in coastal cities and provide a scientific basis for environmental protection and high-quality development in coastal megacities.

Research Direction 1: Soil-Water Environmental Evolution and Ecological Effects under Intensive Coastal Urban Development

This research area examines how intensive urban development alters soil and water environments and evaluates the resulting environmental and ecological effects.

Research Direction 2: Efficient Treatment and Multi-Scenario Soil-Water Applications of High-Volume Municipal Solid Waste

This research area develops efficient treatment technologies for high-volume municipal solid wastes and explores their beneficial use in coupled soil-water systems across a range of engineering and environmental applications.

Research Direction 3: Safe Disposal of High-Volume Municipal Solid Waste and Soil-Water Pollution Control

This research area advances safe disposal strategies for high-volume municipal solid waste and develops approaches to prevent and mitigate associated soil and water pollution risks.

Research Direction 4: Intelligent Monitoring and Ecological Risk Assessment of Soil-Water Environmental Change in Coastal Cities

This research area develops intelligent sensing, monitoring, data-analysis, and ecological risk-assessment methods to detect, characterize, and evaluate changes in soil and water environments and their ecological consequences.

Research Direction 5: Integrated Land-Sea Governance and Resilient Ecosystem Development in Coastal Cities

This research area develops integrated land-sea governance strategies and resilient ecological systems that can adapt to intensive urban development and environmental change in coastal cities.