RICRI Research Seminar: Resilience of Infrastructure in Facing Intensifying Extreme Weather under Global Warming

Global warming stands as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, profoundly impacting societies worldwide. The increasing frequency of record-breaking extreme weather events—including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and floods—implies that our planet is entering a new era where such events are no longer exceptional, but part of a new normal. In this seminar, Prof. PAN will first introduce the fundamentals of global warming and its underlying physical mechanisms. The focus will then shift to the intersection of climate science and civil engineering—specifically, how to quantitatively assess the resilience of infrastructure under a changing climate.

Prof. PAN will present her ongoing research on the resilience of global bridges in a warming world, organised around three key questions: 1) How can we estimate future temperature increases by the end of the 21st century? 2) How do we quantify the response of bridges to changing climate conditions? 3) What are the implications for structural design and engineering practice in the face of climate change? By bridging climate science with civil engineering, this talk aims to foster dialogue between researchers from different disciplines to address the shared challenges of a warming world.