On November 22, 2025, the award‑giving ceremony for the 2025 “Guoshun Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award in Energy Economics and Management” was held in Xi’an. Three PhD graduates from the center, Zhang Yunlong, Wu Yun and Chen Ming, won the Special Award, Excellence Award and Nomination Award respectively.

Established by Shandong Guoshun Construction Group Co., Ltd., the award aims to foster academic innovation in energy economics and management, boost the cultivation of high‑level young talents, and reward outstanding doctoral dissertations with remarkable innovative achievements in relevant fields. The research carried out by the three PhD alumni closely responds to national strategic needs and adopts systematic research approaches.

Dr. Zhang Yunlong’s doctoral dissertation Research on Optimization Methodology and Application of Low‑carbon Transition Pathways for the Coal‑power Sector addresses the pressing challenges of low‑carbon transition in China’s coal‑power sector. It designs future transition pathway planning that takes multiple objectives into account, including power‑plant heterogeneity, project economic viability, technological low‑carbon performance, system security and social equity. It puts forward plant‑level investment and low‑carbon safe transition strategies for the coal‑power sector, and delivers new solutions for social conflicts such as idled retired power‑plant facilities and employee unemployment.

Dr. Wu Yun’s doctoral dissertation Simulation Methodology and Application of Uncertainty‑oriented Low‑carbon Transition Pathways for Power Systems targets multiple uncertainties in power‑system transition under the dual‑carbon strategy. It constructs a multi‑dimensional and multi‑scale analytical framework. By introducing key mechanisms including technological‑cost evolution, endogenous power demand, impacts of extreme weather and spatio‑temporal disparity balancing, it realizes full‑chain optimization covering national macro‑level layout, region‑specific differentiated pathways and source‑grid‑load‑storage coordinated dispatch, and provides new decision‑making methodologies for the economical, secure and low‑carbon transition of power systems.

Dr. Chen Ming’s doctoral dissertation System Modelling for Carbon Neutrality Policy Evaluation from the Perspective of Enterprise Behaviour Optimization and Industrial Restructuring builds a carbon‑neutrality policy evaluation system covering five sectors: production, research and development, government, consumption and environment, from the dual perspectives of micro‑level enterprise behaviour optimization and macro‑level industrial restructuring. Drawing on models of corporate production, emission‑reduction and R&D behaviours, as well as a competition‑impact model for regional emission‑reduction responsibility sharing, it simulates the impacts of carbon‑neutrality policies on carbon‑emission trajectories, and offers a new analytical tool for balancing economic and environmental objectives.

The doctoral dissertations completed by the three award‑winners carry important academic value and practical implications for advancing the green and low‑carbon energy transition.

Dr. Wu Yun (first from left) at the award‑receiving ceremony

Dr. Chen Ming (second from right) at the award‑receiving ceremony