Professor Ruggiero Lovreglio appointed Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University

The three-year appointment marks a significant milestone in Professor Lovreglio’s academic career and opens new opportunities for collaboration between the two institutions.

Professor Lovreglio will begin his visiting period at Tsinghua this month, contributing to teaching and research in disaster management and emergency response.

Tsinghua University is one of the world’s leading universities, consistently ranking within the top 20 in the QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. It is widely regarded as China’s premier institution for science, technology and engineering. Its strong research focus and commitment to global partnerships align closely with Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s internationalisation goals.

Established in 2023, Tsinghua’s School of Safety Science is dedicated to advancing research in public safety, with a particular focus on disaster prevention, technical solutions for disaster mitigation, emergency management systems, urban safety and human protection strategies. The School aims to be at the forefront of global safety science, making it a perfect fit with Professor Lovreglio’s expertise in human behaviour during disasters, evacuation modelling and safety training.

His work integrates cutting-edge digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and building information modelling, to better understand how people respond in crisis situations and to improve emergency preparedness training.

Professor Lovreglio says he is honoured by the appointment and excited about the potential it holds for future collaborations.

“This is a significant step in my career, but also a wonderful opportunity to strengthen academic and research ties between Massey and Tsinghua. I plan to use this role to promote joint research projects, collaborations among academics and PhD visiting periods between our institutions.”

As Co-Chair of the International Association for Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, an international body founded by Tsinghua University, Professor Lovreglio already has strong connections with leading researchers and policymakers in the field. The new appointment formalises those links and provides a framework for further cooperation in areas of mutual strength, including disaster risk reduction, resilience and public safety.

He says the collaboration will also help raise Massey’s profile among Chinese students and researchers.

“This partnership will not only enhance our joint research capacity but also help attract talented students from China to study at Massey. The opportunity for shared supervision and exchange will be invaluable to both universities.”

Professor Lovreglio says he looks forward to beginning his visiting term and deepening cooperation between the two universities over the next three years.

“Our shared commitment to disaster resilience and public safety makes this partnership a natural fit. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”