12 June 2025, Chengdu, China – Dr. Wenchao Xue from the School of Engineering and Technology at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) participated in the 9th Digital Belt and Road Conference (DBAR 2025), held from June 8–11, 2025, in Chengdu, China. The conference was organized by the Digital Belt and Road Program (DBAR), the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), and Chengdu University of Technology, under the theme “Sustainable Transformation through Digital Sciences.”
During the event, Dr. Xue was appointed Co-Chair of the DBAR Task Force on “Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals in Southeast Asia (DBAR-SEA),” marking a notable step in AIT’s continued engagement in regional digital sustainability efforts.
Marking DBAR’s 10th anniversary, the conference convened global experts to explore how digital technologies can accelerate sustainable development, particularly in developing regions. Dr. Xue also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, an initiative aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation in data-driven sustainable development.
On June 10, Dr. Xue co-chaired a side event titled “Advancing Sustainability through Digital Science and Innovation in Southeast Asia” and presented her research on “Leveraging Big Earth Data for SDG Assessment at the Provincial Scale in Thailand.” The session also marked the official launch of the DBAR-SEA Task Force, laying the groundwork for greater collaboration and capacity building across the region.
Dr. Xue is an Associate Professor and the Academic Program Chair of Environmental Engineering and Management. She is also the founding director of AIT’s Belt and Road Research Center.
