Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) is expanding its international research network through its UNU Hub on Engineering to Face Climate Change. Prof. Irina Smirnova, Vice President for Research at TUHH, and Prof. Nima Shokri, who are both Executive Co-Directors of the TUHH UNU Hub, represented the university at the 2nd Annual Conference of United Nations University (UNU) Hubs in Richmond Hill, Canada. The meeting provided an opportunity to advance joint research initiatives and academic exchange with international partner universities.
Held alongside the 30th anniversary celebrations of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), the meeting brought together representatives of five UNU Hubs to strengthen cooperation on climate change, sustainability, and environmental resilience.
Concrete Research Collaboration with New York
A key outcome for TUHH was the advancement of collaboration with the UNU Hub on Remote Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS) at The City College of New York (CCNY).
As a next step, a representative from CCNY is expected to visit TUHH to participate in a meeting of the DFG-funded Research Training Group on Climate-Informed Engineering (CIE) and an internal meeting of the TUHH UNU Hub. The visit will help identify joint research priorities and develop opportunities for collaborative projects.
Further discussions identified research synergies in process engineering, climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable resource management, and remote sensing.
“The UNU Hub network offers tremendous opportunities for TU Hamburg to connect our engineering expertise with leading international partners”, says Prof. Irina Smirnova, Vice President for Research at TUHH. “Our discussions in Canada have already led to concrete plans for research collaboration with The City College of New York. At a time of growing geopolitical tensions, international scientific cooperation is more important than ever — not only for addressing global challenges, but also for fostering mutual understanding and building bridges between nations. The United Nations University provides an exceptional platform for this mission, and TU Hamburg is proud to be part of it.”
Strengthening TUHH's Global Research Network
The UNU Hub network provides TUHH with an international platform to connect engineering expertise across institutions and disciplines. Particularly promising are synergies with TUHH's DFG-funded Research Training Group on Climate-Informed Engineering, linking fundamental engineering research with global environmental challenges.
During the meeting, Smirnova and Shokri also exchanged perspectives with Prof. Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH, and Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University. Richmond Hill Mayor David West welcomed the international participants, building on his previous visit to the TUHH UNU Hub in Hamburg.
