Zhong-ren Peng is the director of iAdapt: International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design. He also serves as a a Nonresident Senior Fellow at The Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and a senior advisor to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as an associate editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research and an editorial board member of multiple international journals. Previously, Professor Peng was the chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida, Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Association for China Planning (IACP), and a board member of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).

His research expertise spans artificial intelligence-driven urban planning, climate adaptation planning, transportation planning, and UAV-based atmospheric environment monitoring. Dr. Peng is a prolific and influential researcher and publisher, with a prestigious ranking among the world’s top 2% of scientists for both career-long and single-year impact, according to the Stanford/Elsevier list, significantly impacting these fields. His academic work has been cited over 12,000 times, with an H-Index of 56 and an i-10 index of 178. He is frequently invited to deliver keynote speeches at leading international conferences.

The course originates from the Sustainable Development salon series initiated by Academician Zhiqiang Wu in 2007 and has since evolved into a university-wide general education course for undergraduate students. Over the years, it has been recognized as a University-Level Distinguished Course, a Shanghai Key Course, and a National First-Class Course. Renowned professors and experts from around the world are invited to deliver interdisciplinary modules covering topics such as future cities, intelligent planning, smart cities, intelligent transportation, and machine learning. The course aims to equip students with a systematic understanding of the development pathways, key objectives, and strategic tasks of new urbanization from various disciplinary perspectives. It fosters a multifaceted approach to comprehending the principles of sustainable smart urbanization, enhances students' ability to grasp the essence and development patterns of modern urbanization, and cultivates innovative talents capable of leading the future of national urbanization and smart city development.