Chinese climate scientists have paid tribute to a "pure, passionate" scholar after the sudden death of atmospheric physicist Wen Xinyu at just 45 years of age.
The associate professor with the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Peking University's school of physics died on June 14 after suffering a heart attack, according to the obituary published by his home institute.
The obituary paid tribute to Wen's important contributions to the field of climate change and his great efforts in a career that was largely devoted to teaching and research.
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Colleagues were shocked by his sudden death, particularly at such a young age and in such apparent good health.
Zhou Tianjun, deputy director general at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a fellow Peking University alumnus, told the South China Morning Post that Wen's health "has been very good".
According to Zhou, who graduated earlier, Wen was a typical Peking University graduate who did not blindly follow others or chase trends, but instead had his own thoughts and ideas. "He is persistent and full of enthusiasm in his work," he said.
Wei Ke, an IAP researcher in Beijing and a friend of Wen's for more than 20 years, declined to comment but shared an article that he wrote in his friend's memory on Sunday.
In the article, Wei said that in around 2010 they both took part in a government-funded research project. He recalled that Wen had "exceptional physical strength and willpower" and shared a photo taken at the annual meeting in December that year.
Wei said that a few days before Wen's death, he had an online conversation with him about a science communication initiative involving secondary school students.
They talked about how to allocate limited resources reasonably to promote researchers' services to the community, Wei said, adding that he might now need to find the answer himself.
Born in Beijing in 1979, Wen was admitted to Peking University's department of atmospheric sciences - the best place to study the discipline in China - in 1998 and remained there through to PhD level, obtaining his doctoral degree in 2007.
Wen pursued postdoctoral research at North Carolina State University before returning to China in 2009 to join his alma mater as a faculty member. He was appointed deputy dean of his department 10 years later.
Wen, whose WeChat signature read "Freedom through Truth for Service", dedicated himself to popularising science, selecting and cultivating students.
He taught multiple courses and was deeply loved and respected by students "for his rigorous teaching approach, extensive knowledge and engaging explanations", the Peking University obituary said.
Wen also served as coach of the national team for the International Earth Science Olympiad - an annual competition for secondary school students - and was responsible for organising a summer school for gifted students in the discipline.
The young climate scientist is remembered by his students, peers and colleagues for his enthusiastic, upright and caring personality.
Pu Bing, an assistant professor at the University of Kansas who was a postgraduate student with Wen at Peking University, said on social media that his passionate approach to academia had always been a source of inspiration.
She recalled that Wen would always take the lead when it came to sharing quality academic papers, new data and methods with his peers, and remembered how he had initiated a student seminar to promote academic exchange.
Having seen hundreds of messages flooding the online group set up to mourn Wen, Pu Bing said she realised that he was not only an excellent scholar, but also a "superb teacher, mentor and colleague".
Zeng Zhenzhong, a professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, recalled his experience attending Wen's class almost 10 years ago.
He said Wen was admired by all his students for his vivid and engaging teaching style. "He was a passionate, pure scientist, and we have been greatly inspired by him," Zeng said.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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