Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research - About Us
The beginning
The Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research was launched at the University of Melbourne on 20 February, 2006 by the Minister of Science and Technology for the People’s Republic of China, Professor Xu Guanhua, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Glyn Davis.
The concept for the Centre was initiated at the first Australia-China Symposium on Living Sustainability, which was held in Melbourne in October, 2004. This was a collaborative venture, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China and the then Department of Education, Science and Training (now Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Research), and administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Australian Academy of Science and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Formal steps to establish the Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research were taken in Beijing in October, 2005, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, and the designation of nodes of the Centre in China and in Australia.
It was agreed to locate the key Chinese node in Beijing at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese of Academy of Sciences, while the University of Melbourne would house the key node in Australia
Context
Australia and China face similar challenges in water scarcity and management, yet there are significant differences in the socio-political and environmental contexts. The Centre provides the framework for the two countries to collaborate in comparative and parallel research and in knowledge exchange, and to bring together researchers, students, policy makers, managers, technology providers and water users.
Governance
The Co-Directors of the Centre are:
- Professor John Langford, AM, Director of Uniwater, a joint initiative of the University of Melbourne and Monash University
- Professor Xia Jun, Director and Leading Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Core Staff in Australia
- Professor John Langford
Director, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Uniwater - Associate Professor Deli Chen
Deputy Director, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Faculty of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne - Dr Yongping Wei
Research Fellow
Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
Core staff in China
- Professor Xia Jun
Director, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research - Professor Yu Qiang
Secretary General, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research - Dr Zhan Chesheng
Senior Research Fellow, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research - Dr Liu Wenhua
Office Manager, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research
c/- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research
Management Committees have been established in Australia and in China to guide the Centre:
Australia |
China |
Dr Vaughan Beck, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Professor Snow Barlow, The University of Melbourne Professor Ian Cartwright, Monash University Associate Professor Deli Chen, The University of Melbourne Professor John Langford, Uniwater Dr Bin Lu, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria Professor Michael Manton, Monash University Dr QJ Wang, CSIRO Land and Water Dr Yongping Wei, Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research Dr Lu Zhang, CSIRO Land and Water |
Professor Cheng Guodong, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute Professor Fu Bojie, Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Huang Ronghui, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Liu Changming, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Wang Jiyang, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Xia Jun, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Yu Qiang, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences |