25 Jun 2025
A talented team of students from Dr. Sekar Raju’s research group in the Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, School of Science at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) recently made an impressive mark at the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability (ISCES) and the Global Environment Solutions Challenge (GESC), held at Tongji University in Shanghai during June 6-7, 2025.
The team was comprised by Jialu Liu (Year 2, BSc Biological Sciences), Chenhui Pan (Year 1, MRes Molecular Bioscience) and Xiaotian Zhao (PhD student) and presented its work on “Plastic Pollution and Climate Change: Current Challenges and Future Directions” through both poster and oral presentations with the guidance of Dr. Sekar Raju, Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching in the School of Science, XJTLU. The presentations focused on three key topics: 1) Impacts of plastic pollution on natural environment and climate change 2) Current countermeasures and policies against plastic pollution and 3) Innovative ideas and future directions for controlling plastic wastes.
Photo: From the right:Jialu Liu, Chenhui Pan and Xiaotian Zhao
Jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tongji University since 2011, ISCES brings together over 1,000 students from more than 100 countries annually in celebration of World Environment Day. This year, the preliminary round of the competition attracted over 600 poster submissions, with only 58 teams advancing to the semi-finals. Among them, the team from the Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, School of Science at XJTLU stood out for their multidisciplinary approach for tackling plastic pollution, earning appreciation from the judges and finished as top 3 of 15 teams in the semi-final subgroup, entering the final stage, where the 12 best teams competed for the awards with a prize pool of 60,000 RMB.
In the final round, Xiaotian Zhao reviewed the impact of plastic pollution on natural environment and climate change, Chenhui Pan analysed current countermeasures and policies against plastic pollution and Jialu Liu proposed innovative ideas and future directions for controlling plastic wastes. The presentation showcased a unique blend of biotechnology, ethical responsibility and practical environmental impact, which demonstrated the team’s academic excellence and Dr. Raju’s mentorship.
“We’re thrilled to have reached the finals!” said Jialu Liu. “Special thanks to Dr. Raju for his unwavering support and guidance, as well as the School of Science and XJTLU for this incredible opportunity. We also extend our gratitude to the organizers for fully funding our participation.
Dr. Raju praised the team’s dedication and performance: ?“Congratulations to Jialu, Chenhui, and Xiaotian for proudly representing our School of Science and XJTLU on this prestigious international stage. Although they did not win a prize at the final, the experience they gained through this competition was invaluable. Jialu, as an undergraduate leading the team, showed exceptional enthusiasm and dedication in this competition. Equally, Chenhui and Xiaotian made significant contributions to the presentations and their teamwork adds value to tackling the plastic pollution, a key focus of their research.
The team’s participation and achievement highlights the School of Science and XJTLU’s growing commitment to global engagement and sustainability research and its mission to train and empower students as future global change makers.
Dr. Raju maintains an active research agenda and continuous to recruit bright, energetic, hard-working and talented Bachelors, Masters and PhD students to join his Research Team. Those students who are interested are welcome to contact him directly at Sekar.Raju@gdsqbz.com.
Content from Dr Sekar Raju and the students team
Review：Professor John Moraros
25 Jun 2025