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简体中文 In September 2025, Stanford University and Elsevier jointly released the "World's Top 2% Scientists 2025" list, featuring Assistant Professor Ye Bin from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). Since joining SUSTech in 2018, Ye Bin has been deeply engaged in the interdisciplinary field integrating environmental planning and energy economics, consistently tackling key challenges in areas such as carbon emissions trading, electricity markets, low-carbon transportation, and green finance. Over the past five years, he has led or participated in 12 national, provincial, and municipal research projects. These include the Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Research and Development Program, General and Young Scientist Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as Shenzhen Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Projects and the Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation. With a solid academic foundation and a clear research vision, he has steadily become a pivotal force in the field of low-carbon transition research.
I. Research Breakthrough: Vehicle-Grid Interaction Ushers in an Era of "Quantifiable Returns"
In August 2025, the General Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China titled "Research on Comprehensive Benefit Accounting and Incentive Mechanisms for Ordered Charging and Discharging of Electric Vehicles under Vehicle-Grid Interaction Mode," led by Assistant Professor Ye Bin, was successfully approved. This project innovatively integrates considerations of both the electricity energy market and the carbon trading market, establishing a dual incentive mechanism of "demand response - carbon quota." It aims to address the challenges of randomness and dispersion in the charging and discharging management of electric vehicles. Ye Bin's research team plans to analyze massive datasets of electric vehicle user behavior to design strategies for guiding EV charging/discharging and to construct a multi-agent interest coordination mechanism. Based on model validation using empirical data from Shenzhen, the project intends to explore development pathways for vehicle-grid interaction that align with the practical needs of China's power and transportation sectors.
II. Frequent Publications in Top Journals: Team Achievements Shine on the International Stage
High-level academic publications are a direct reflection of innovation in fundamental research. To date, Assistant Professor Ye Bin has published over 100 research papers. More than 90 of these are indexed in SCI/SSCI, with over 50 published as first or corresponding author. As first or corresponding author, he has published over 10 papers in top-tier energy and environment journals such as Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Environmental Science & Technology, Energy Economics, and Applied Energy, along with 3 papers in leading international public policy journals Climate Policy and Energy Policy.
In 2025, Ye Bin's team published 10 papers. Team members including undergraduates, master's students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers each made breakthroughs in their respective sub-fields, with their findings successively appearing in prestigious journals. Furthermore, research assistants and visiting scholars within the team also contributed a series of high-quality studies this year.
In January 2025, Assistant Professor Ye Bin, as both the first author and corresponding author, published a significant study titled "Design and Pricing of an Option Product for China's Green Electricity-Carbon Medium and Long-Term Markets" in the top social science journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review. Southern University of Science and Technology was the sole corresponding affiliation. Addressing China's specific context, this research innovatively proposed a pricing scheme for a green electricity-carbon option product, providing crucial decision-making support for the coordinated development of the carbon market and the electricity market.
In March 2025, the research paper titled "Energy-economy-environment evaluation of building-integrated photovoltaic considering facade factors for representative megacities in China", with the team's 2023 master's student Yu Zhe as the first author and Assistant Professor Ye Bin as the corresponding author, was published in the top-tier engineering journal Applied Energy. This study developed a comprehensive energy-saving and carbon-reduction assessment model for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. It systematically evaluated the solar energy resource endowment and the energy-saving/carbon-reduction potential of BIPV in ten megacities across representative climate zones in China. The findings not only provide a scientific basis for urban planners and policymakers promoting BIPV technology but also open new perspectives for exploring the coupled integration of BIPV with electric vehicles.
In June 2025, another study by the team, with 2023 undergraduate Xin Wentao as the first author and Assistant Professor Ye Bin as the corresponding author, was also published in Applied Energy. The paper, titled "Aggregator-driven optimization of electric vehicle charging stations in Shenzhen: Synergizing smart charging, renewable energy integration and energy storage", delves into the potential of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology in synergizing smart charging, renewable energy integration, and energy storage optimization. The proposed charging load forecasting method, microgrid energy flow dispatch mechanism, and multi-dimensional evaluation framework exhibit strong generalizability and transferability, holding potential for cross-regional and cross-scenario application. This work provides theoretical support and optimization strategies for the scientific planning and investment analysis of urban charging infrastructure in China, while also offering valuable insights for cities worldwide facing load management challenges brought by the widespread adoption of new energy vehicles.
In the same year, the team's postdoctoral researcher Wang Jin published a paper titled "Does green finance ensure energy security while achieving low-carbon transformation of listed electricity firms? Evidence from China" in the leading energy economics journal Energy Economics. This research, based on empirical data from Chinese listed companies, thoroughly investigates the impact of green finance policies on energy security.
These accomplishments highlight the further enhancement of the team's collaborative and innovative capabilities, signaling that its development has entered a "fast track." It is anticipated that within the next 1-2 years, Ye Bin's team will produce more groundbreaking research achievements with international influence.
III. Education First: Cultivating the Next Generation of Scientific Leaders
"The core of scientific research lies in nurturing talent; outstanding achievements stem from outstanding individuals." This is a phrase often echoed by Assistant Professor Ye Bin. While pursuing academic excellence, he consistently places student development at the heart of his work, striving to create a free, open, challenge-embracing, and resource-rich research environment. He focuses on igniting students' intrinsic passion for exploration and diligently cultivates their critical thinking, independent research capabilities, and comprehensive skills for solving complex scientific problems.
Under Ye Bin's mentorship, 2023 master's student Yu Zhe was awarded the National Scholarship in both 2024 and 2025. As one of the highest honors attainable by undergraduate and graduate students in Chinese universities, Yu Zhe's consecutive wins not only represent the ultimate recognition of his exceptional academic and research prowess but also serve as powerful testimony to Assistant Professor Ye Bin's remarkable effectiveness in talent cultivation.
Concurrently, other team members have also achieved dazzling results. 2023 doctoral student Lu Zhenwei received the Special Award in the 2025-2026 Academic Excellence Award announced by the School of Environmental Science and Engineering. Similarly, 2024 master's students He Zhaoxuan and Lu Yaqi have both consecutively won the Special Award in the Research Assistantship Awards for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, as announced by the School.
Behind these impressive transcripts lies the meticulous dedication of Professor Ye Bin's dual-driven approach of "Research-Education." From topic selection guidance and model construction to the iterative refinement of papers, he insists on "one-on-one navigation." He deconstructs cutting-edge directions like carbon markets and electricity-water-carbon coupling into "step-by-step projects" scalable for students, sowing the seeds of rigorous scholarship, truth-seeking, and innovation into every group meeting and every line of code. Today, the consecutive accolades won by his students stand as the finest footnote for this "Carbon Pathway Gardener": within Assistant Professor Ye Bin's team, excellence is not a sporadic occurrence but a consistently replicable daily practice.
IV. Contribution to Student Recruitment: Not Just a Scholar, But Also a Proactive "Talent Recruiter"
In November 2025, Ye Bin was honored with the title of "2025 Outstanding Individual in Undergraduate Recruitment Work" at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). Professor Ye Bin considers the motto of his educational work—"Strive to recruit outstanding students and do everything possible to cultivate them into excellent graduates"—as his lifelong pursuit as an educator. As a young faculty member who equally values research and mentorship, he actively engaged in undergraduate recruitment over the past year. Leveraging his solid professional expertise, innovative outreach strategies, and sincere, service-oriented attitude, he has helped attract a cohort of talented students to the university. This accolade not only recognizes Professor Ye Bin's personal dedication on the front lines of student recruitment but also serves as a testament to the SUSTech admissions team's philosophy of being "precise, efficient, and people-centered." Furthermore, it fully exemplifies the commitment of SUSTech faculty to the principle of "nurturing the heart and character before imparting knowledge."
V. Integrating Knowledge with Practice: Linking Classrooms to Reality, Measuring the Land with Footsteps
In his teaching, Assistant Professor Ye Bin offers the undergraduate course Environmental Economics and the graduate course Economics of Climate Change. He does not confine economics to abstract curves and formulas but skillfully integrates the forward-looking perspectives from his interdisciplinary research into his instruction. In the classroom, pressing issues of our time—such as the latest dynamics in global carbon markets, the policy implications of China's "dual carbon" strategy, economic assessments of new energy technology development, and the interplay of property rights and game theory in environmental governance—are brought to life. Under Professor Ye Bin's guidance, these topics are interwoven with rigorous economic analytical tools, making them both vivid and profound.
Professor Ye Bin places particular emphasis on cultivating students' critical thinking and ability to tackle complex problems. Case studies, scenario simulations, and group discussions are regular features of his classes. Students not only learn how to analyze environmental issues using economic tools but are also guided to consider the trade-offs behind policies, the relationship between technological feasibility and economic costs, and the questions of equity and development in the context of global climate change. This teaching approach, which blends scientific rationality, policy depth, and ethical consideration, significantly broadens students' cognitive horizons, transforming economics into a "key" for them to observe the world and understand China.
"Economic research cannot be detached from the real-world context in which it exists." Firmly believing that the deepest learning occurs in the real world, Professor Ye Bin insists on personally leading students out of the "ivory tower" each year to engage in hands-on social practice, truly embodying the educational philosophy of "integrating knowledge with action." Under his guidance, students embark on field trips to factories, enterprises, rural communities, nature reserves, energy bases, or environmental agencies with specific research questions in hand. During these practicums, they apply methods learned in class—such as cost-benefit analysis, environmental valuation, and policy impact assessment—to collect firsthand data. Many students reflect with sentiment, "This experience made me realize that economics is a discipline with a 'human touch'." This kind of impactful learning and growth ensures that educational outcomes extend beyond transcripts, transforming into high-quality research projects and academic papers.
In March 2025, Assistant Professor Ye Bin led students on a hike from Pak Tam Chung to Long Ke Wan, discussing the symbiotic relationship between the environment and development along the way.
Looking toward the future, Assistant Professor Ye Bin stated that he will continue to leverage the international, high-caliber research platform and the open, innovative academic environment provided by Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). He plans to delve deeper into interdisciplinary fields, courageously explore scientific "uncharted territories," and strive to produce more original research with significant scientific importance and practical application value. Concurrently, he will remain unwavering in his dedication to education, fulfilling the fundamental mission of "foster virtue and cultivate talent." He regards it as his duty to nurture top-tier innovative individuals who possess a sense of national responsibility, a global perspective, and the capability to shoulder the great task of national rejuvenation. He aims to contribute his wisdom and strength to the rapid development of SUSTech and to the advancement of China's self-reliance and strength in science and technology.