Tang Hongwu is an expert in plain water dynamics and river–lake regulation engineering. He is male, Han ethnicity, and a member of the Communist Party of China. Born in September 1966 in Jianhu County, Jiangsu Province, he graduated from Hohai University with a Doctor of Engineering degree. He holds the titles of Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, is a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a Deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, a Standing Director of the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, and a Standing Director of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.

Academician Tang has long been devoted to talent cultivation, scientific research, and engineering practice in the fields of hydraulics and river dynamics. He has led and undertaken over 180 key national and provincial research projects and major engineering application studies, including projects funded by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and the National Key R&D Program of China. He has compiled five industrial standards. He has received four Second‑Class Prizes of the National Award for Progress in Science and Technology, five First‑Class and Special‑Class Prizes at the provincial/ministerial level, and one Second‑Class National Teaching Achievement Award. He has also been honored with the First National Medal for Innovation and Excellence and the title of National Excellent Scientific and Technological Professional, among other distinctions.

In 2021, he was elected an academician of the Division of Civil, Hydraulic and Architectural Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.