Zhao Jinpeng, male, from Jining, Shandong Province, holds a Ph.D. and is currently a Specially-appointed Associate Professor (Talent Introduction). He received his Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering from Shandong University of Science and Technology, and both his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Beijing Jiaotong University under the supervision of Professor Wang Xiuying and Professor Tan Zhongsheng, respectively. He then conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Hydraulic Engineering at Tsinghua University, with Professor Liu Xiaoli as his collaborative supervisor. In May 2026, he joined the School of Future Cities, University of Science and Technology Beijing.

His research mainly focuses on tunnel and underground engineering. He was selected for the Young Talent Support Program of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, and was listed among the Top 5% Highly Cited Scholars on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) in 2024 and 2025. He has presided over research projects such as the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Funded Postdoctoral Program. As a key member of the research team, he has participated in the research work of major national projects, including the Gongbei Tunnel of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world’s largest-span (70 m class) underground cavern, the Haba Snow Mountain Tunnel on the Lijiang–Shangri-La section of the Yunnan–Tibet Railway, the HN underground water-sealed oil storage cavern, the TBM tunnel of the GX hydropower project in Mangkang, Tibet, the Nanshan Road double-arch tunnel in Jiangmen, Guangdong, the Nankunshan Tunnel in Guangzhou, the Shenzhen Eastern Corridor, the Shixia Tunnel on the Beijing–Chongli Expressway, Nanning Metro Line 4, Chengdu Metro Line 6, and Hohhot Metro Line 2, and has long been deeply involved in frontline engineering practice.

He has published over 30 SCI/EI journal papers as the first or corresponding author, been granted more than 20 invention patents, and received over 10 scientific and technological awards. He serves as an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, a Guest Editor for special issues of journals such as Buildings, a Young Editorial Board Member for Geohazard Mechanics, Rock Mechanics Bulletin, and Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering (Chinese and English), and a reviewer for over 10 authoritative journals in the field, including Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology (TUST) and Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (RMRE).