The International Society of Energy and Built Environment (ISEBE) was jointly founded by renowned scholars in the global building environment field. The current core team includes Professor Yuan Yanping as President, and Professors Zhai Zhiqiang, Fariborz Haghighat, Zhao Xudong, and Dai Yanjun as Co-Chairpersons. Focusing on the "field of energy and built environment", the Society takes "promoting sustainable building technology innovation and international collaboration" as its mission, commits to supporting the utilization of clean energy and creating a building environment that is healthy, comfortable, and promotes productivity, and provides support for the construction of a local international academic platform to build a high-end interdisciplinary and cross-regional international academic platform.
As of April 2025, ISEBE has seen a continuous expansion of its membership, having recruited 917 experts, scholars, and industry representatives from 16 countries. This membership base covers universities, research institutions, and leading enterprises in the industry. To optimize the academic ecosystem and assemble high-level talent, the Society launched the "Fellow" program in 2025. The program aims to honor senior experts who have made remarkable contributions to the field of sustainable construction, thereby playing a leading role in the industry. It includes the initiation of the "Founding Fellow" title and the formulation of detailed provisions such as fellow selection criteria, rights, and responsibilities.
In line with the Society's mission to ensure democratic and standardized decision-making, all major matters must strictly adhere to the provisions of its main charter. Any amendments or supplements to the charter require the convening of a Board Meeting, where all members deliberate and approve them through a voting process. Consequently, at the launch of the "Fellow" program, ISEBE convened the inaugural "Fellow" Program Charter Review Meeting via an online ZOOM conference on April 7, 2025.
Fig 1: Online Meeting of ISEBE Board for Fellow Article Review and Funding Fellow Establishment
The meeting was centered on revising the charter's core clauses, with emphasis placed on clarifying four key directions: first, the designation of "Founding Fellows"; second, the strict establishment of fellow selection criteria, requiring candidates to hold internationally recognized academic influence and practical experience in industry-academia-research integration; third, the refinement of a rights and responsibilities framework for fellows, mandating their in-depth involvement in the Society’s strategic planning, technical consultation, and talent cultivation; fourth, the establishment of a dynamic management mechanism to incentivize continuous innovation through five-year contribution evaluations. All board members participated in the discussion and unanimously approved the *Fellow Charter*, followed immediately by the release of the first batch of Founding Fellows. Outcomes of the meeting—including the list of inaugural Founding Fellows and the Society’s *Fellow Charter*—will be announced during the 4th International Conference on Energy and Built Environment by Chinese Scholars. ISEBE warmly invites outstanding scholars worldwide to apply for the Society’s Fellow designation, contributing to leading global advancements in sustainable building.
Fig. 2 Funding Fellow lists of ISEBE
Looking ahead, ISEBE will advance multiple action plans in the second half of 2025, including: establishing the "Outstanding Scholar Innovation Fund" to support experts and scholars who have made remarkable contributions and show great potential in the field of energy and built environment; continuing to promote the development of local chapters and technical committees; organizing structured and planned seminars in the energy and built environment field to provide opportunities and platforms for collaborative development; and commissioning senior experts to compile guiding documents such as white papers to clarify industry development directions.
In his post-meeting summary, Professor Yuan Yanping, President of ISEBE, emphasized: "ISEBE's growth stems from the collective wisdom of global colleagues. The title of Fellow is not just an academic honor, but a responsibility—we look forward to joining hands with all sectors to empower a sustainable future for humanity." We sincerely invite more colleagues to join this green journey and jointly write a new chapter in the field of built environment.
