2026 12th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research (ICHSSR 2026)

Prof. Abdullah Mohammad Alwazrah

Imam University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Brief: A Saudi professor of Higher Education Administration & HRD with a PhD, he has rich experience in teaching, research and administration. He has published many researches, supervised over 30 dissertations, participated in international educational inspections, provided training for famous organizations, and held important positions in Saudi educational institutions.

Prof. Huaping Sun

University of Science and Technology Beijing, China

Research Area: Energy economy and Environmental Management, Digital economy and sustainable development, industrial organization and global value chains

Brief introduction: He presided over a number of key projects of the National Social Science Fund and projects of the National Science Fund. He has published many papers in academic journals at home and abroad. Deputy Secretary-General and standing member of the Resource Economy Research Committee of China Society of Natural Resources, Executive director of the Energy Economy and Management Branch of China "Double Law" Research Society, standing member of the Energy Resources System Committee of China Systems Engineering Society, Executive director of the National Input-Output and Big Data Research Society, National Natural Science Foundation communication review expert, etc. He is the author of China Finance Review International, Journal of Digital Economy, Green and Low-Carbon Economy, Carbon Editorial board members or youth editorial board members of journals such as Footprint, China Population, Resources and Environment. He has been successively selected as a Clarivate Global Highly Cited Scientist, the world's top 2% top scientist of Stanford University, and Elsevier China Highly Cited Scholar.

Speech Title: Exploring the effect of Geopolitical Risks on Energy Efficiency

Abstract: This study explores the captivating relationship between energy efficiency and the ever-changing geopolitical risk landscape in 40 countries from 1985 to 2022. The research employs a novel measure of geopolitical risk, addresses endogeneity issues in the energy efficiency measure, analyzes different time variations, and investigates various income levels: First, study shows that geopolitical factors significantly increase energy inefficiency, suggesting that political conflicts and regulatory changes disrupt energy production and investment, causing inefficient resource allocation, increased costs, and infrastructure delays. Second, analysis shows that geopolitical risk increases energy inefficiency more in low-income countries than in high-income ones.

Prof. Cherian George

Hong Kong Baptist University, China

Brief introduction:Prof. George’s professional life has been devoted to journalism practice, education, research and advocacy. A native of Singapore, he worked as a journalist for the Straits Times, including three years as its art and photo editor, before moving to academia. His academic research centres on freedom of expression, and hate propaganda. His civic involvements include founding What’s Up, a monthly current affairs newspaper for Singapore schoolchildren, published since 2003. Prof. George received his Ph.D. in Communication from Stanford University. He has a Masters from Columbia University’s School of Journalism and a B.A. in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University.

Prof. Thomas David DuBois

Beijing Normal University, China

Brief introduction: Holding degrees from Chicago and UCLA, my professional career has taken me to Wash U St. Louis, the National University of Singapore and the Australian National University. Altogether, I’ve spent over a decade in China, including time in Shandong, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Shanghai.

I took up my current position at Beijing Normal University in 2019 and hold concurrent professorships at universities in Shandong and Hebei.

Speech Title: Tracing culinary exchange along the Grand Canal

Abstract: Since ancient times, China’s civilizational exchange has followed the east-west flow of its two major rivers; the completion of the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty (581-619) changed this situation, facilitating large-scale cultural exchange along a north-south direction. This talk considers how the area along the Grand Canal developed into a zone of culinary exchange. In addition to transporting grain from south to the north, the shipping canal also promoted exchange and development of food culture in the opposite direction, and supported a merchant class that had the means and desire to consume the newest and most stylish cuisines. Using culinary fads and technologies as the base, this talk examines the Grand Canal as a distinct cultural region, similar to Braudel’s conception of the Mediterranean.