Shanghai Normal University | China
Mr. Fujun Niu is a distinguished scholar and global authority in the field of permafrost science, geotechnical engineering, and cold region environmental studies. He currently serves as a Professor at the School of Environment and Geographic Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, and as Vice President of the International Permafrost Association. With a strong academic background including a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering from Xi’an Technology College, Mr. Niu has dedicated his career to advancing the understanding of permafrost disasters, frozen soil mechanics, and engineering applications in extreme environments. His remarkable research output includes over 375 scholarly publications, of which more than 100 are indexed in SCI and 50 in EI, earning him an impressive 9,409 citations from 5,270 documents and an h-index of 50. Mr. Niu has successfully led over 30 major national and international projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Support Program, and the Second Scientific Expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. His work has significantly contributed to infrastructure resilience and environmental sustainability in cold regions, particularly through pioneering studies on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and permafrost slope stability. A mentor to numerous doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, Mr. Niu’s leadership has shaped the next generation of geoscientists. His contributions have been recognized with multiple prestigious awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress First Prize, the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and provincial honors for innovation and excellence. As an editorial board member of several leading journals and a recognized thought leader in cryospheric science, Mr. Niu continues to make profound contributions to understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change in cold regions.
Featured Publications
Burn, C. R., Bartsch, A., Chakraborty, E., Niu, F., et al. (2025). Developments in permafrost science and engineering in response to climate warming in circumpolar and high mountain regions, 2019–2024. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 36(2), 167–188.
Huang, Y., Niu, F.*, He, P., et al. (2024). Effectiveness evaluation of cooling measures for express highway construction in permafrost regions based on GPR and ERT. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 228, 104339.
Xuling, R., Niu, F.*, & Qihao, Y., et al. (2024). Research progress of soil thermal conductivity and its predictive models. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 217, 104027.
He, J., Niu, F.*, Jiang, H., et al. (2023). Fractional viscoelastic-plastic constitutive model for frozen soil based on microcosmic damage mechanism. Mechanics of Materials, 177, 104545.
Ju, X., Niu, F.*, Liu, M., & Luo, J. (2023). Evolution characteristics of freeze–thaw-induced sandstone damage under water immersion conditions in Changdu, Tibet, China. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 104013.
Jiang, H., Wang, E., Niu, F.*, et al. (2022). Experimental investigation on performance degradation of insulation materials induced by freeze–thaw cycles and its applications. Construction and Building Materials, 350, 128844.