From March 17 to 20, the 13^th Statistical Seismology International Conference (STATSEI 13) took place at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), drawing more than 160 experts, scholars, and students from 18 countries and regions.

The conference, hosted by the Seismology Committee of the Chinese Geophysical Society (CGS), was co-organized by the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) at SUSTech, the Institute of Risk Analysis, Prediction, and Management (Risks-X) at SUSTech, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Geophysical High-Resolution Imaging Technology, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), and the Earthquake Prediction Committee of the Seismological Society of China (SSOC).

Hongwei FANG, Vice President and Provost of SUSTech, and Xiaofei CHEN, Head of the Department ESS, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.

In extending a warm welcome to all the guests at STATSEI 13, Hongwei FANG provided an overview of SUSTech’s history, current status, and future plans, and encouraged scholars in attendance to share their expertise and insights during the conference.

Xiaofei CHEN highlighted the significance of STATSEI 13 as one of the few international academic events spearheaded by Chinese scientific researchers. He expressed hope for the conference to serve as a platform for statistical seismologists from all over the world to exchange ideas and collaboratively address the scientific challenge of earthquake prediction, offering a means to mitigate earthquake disasters effectively.

Distinguished guests, including Yosihiko Ogata, former Director of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Japan, showcased the latest advancements in ETAS models, setting the stage for future developments.

Throughout the conference, experts and scholars, such as Zhongliang WU, Farnaz Kamranzad, Gert Zöller, Elisa Varini, Jérôme Weiss, Karen R. Felzer, Kevin R. Milner, Orietta Nicolis, David Rhoades, Alexey A. Ostapchuk, and Leila Mizrahi, delivered insightful reports covering various aspects of statistical seismology and its applications.

Featuring 56 oral presentations and 56 poster presentations across five areas, STATSEI 13 facilitated in-depth discussions on earthquake mechanisms, emphasizing the complexity and instability of earthquake ruptures. Participants advocated for the seamless integration of source physics and statistical earthquakes to advance theoretical research and enhance earthquake disaster risk prevention and mitigation.

The conference spotlighted statistical models and methods for seismic activity analysis, earthquake physics, prediction, and testing capabilities, ground motion simulation, and disaster mitigation strategies. Moreover, it promoted the expansion of statistical seismology into wider fields, including inversion technology, slow earthquake research, ice seismic analysis, and planetary earthquake detection.

Discussions also included the latest research results in Bayesian and machine learning methods in seismology, alongside the latest progress of the China Seismic Experimental Site (CSES) and the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP).

In addition to scientific discussions, participants familiarized themselves with the achievements and development plans of Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Acknowledging SUSTech’s contributions to scientific research and talent cultivation, they provided valuable insights for the future development of earth sciences at the University.