Cai Zipan

Cai Zipan serves as Professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Department of Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Southeast University, with concurrent appointments as Guest Researcher at KTH School of Architecture and Built Environment and core member of Sweden's SATORI Research Lab.

His academic foundation includes:

• Bachelor's in Geomatics and Computer Science, University of Waterloo, Canada (2014)
• Master's in Geographic Information Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (2017)
• Ph.D. in Land and Water Resources Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (2023)

Professor Cai's research pioneers the integration of artificial intelligence with urban planning through three interconnected domains: Urban Spatial Dynamic Modeling using multi-scale simulation techniques, AI-driven Urban Planning leveraging vision-language models for urban analysis, and Sustainable Urban Regeneration frameworks for climate-resilient development. His methodological innovations bridge geospatial data science with deep learning to address complex urban challenges in carbon neutrality and spatial optimization.

His publication impact is exemplified by two ESI Highly Cited Papers in Nature Climate Change, reflecting significant influence in climate-urban research despite limited article titles provided in source materials.

Prestigious recognitions include:

• 2025 Frontiers Planet Prize (global grand prize winner)
• 2024 National Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad (Category B)

As principal investigator, he directs projects funded by China's National High-Level Young Talents Program, Sweden's Lars Erik Lundberg Research Foundation, and the Ministry of Natural Resources' Key Laboratory for Carbon Neutrality. His editorial leadership spans Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and Urban Science, while his UN-Habitat affiliation as China Future City Council Distinguished Expert drives policy translation of research findings.

Through the SATORI Research Lab, Professor Cai coordinates international collaborations between Southeast University, KTH, and Lund University to advance GeoSpAtial daTa-mOdel-aRtificial Intelligence frameworks for next-generation urban planning systems.