My research is focused on the mechanics and engineering of subsurface energy development and energy storage, with the overarching goal of advancing sustainable energy utilization and supporting global carbon neutrality. My work integrates fundamental rock mechanics with emerging geoenergy technologies to address key scientific and engineering challenges associated with the underground energy transition.

At the fundamental level, I investigate the fatigue behaviour of rocks under cyclic mechanical and hydraulic loading, seeking to establish new theoretical frameworks for rock fatigue and fatigue-induced fracture. My research combines laboratory experiments, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, digital volume correlation and advanced numerical modelling to reveal the microstructural mechanisms governing damage accumulation, strain localization and fracture evolution in geomaterials.

Building upon these fundamental insights, I develop novel hydraulic pulse stimulation technologies for enhancing the permeability of low-permeability rock formations while minimizing the environmental impact such as induced seismicity. This research provides new solutions for efficient geothermal energy extraction and other subsurface engineering applications.

A major component of my research is devoted to subsurface energy storage, including underground hydrogen storage, compressed air energy storage (CAES), underground thermal energy storage (UTES), etc. I investigate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes governing the long-term integrity, safety and performance of these systems, aiming to establish predictive methodologies for their design, optimization and operation.

Chair, Commission of Subsurface Energy Storage, International Society of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM) 
Editorial board member, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences
Editorial board member, Scientific Reports
Guest editor, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, speical issue in New Advances in Underground Energy Storage Systems
Guest editor, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, special issue in Theory and Intelligent Control Technology of Dynamic Disasters in Deep Earth Resource Development

Guest editor, Deep Underground Science and Engineering, special issue in Geoenergy and Subsurface Engineering torward Net Zero: Recent Advances and Emergying Applications

• Rock mechanics
• Fatigue and fracture
• Geothermal energy 
• Subsurface energy storage