TANG Hongwu, male, Han ethnicity, was born in September 1966 in Jianhu County, Jiangsu Province. He is a Member of the Communist Party of China, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, Standing Director of the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, and Standing Director of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.

He received his Bachelor’s degree from Hohai University in 1988, followed by a Master's degree from the same university in 1991, after which he joined Hohai University as a faculty member. He earned his Doctor of Engineering degree from Hohai University in 1996, and now holds the academic titles of Professor and Doctoral Supervisor. His long-term research and practice focus on talent cultivation, scientific and technological research, and engineering applications in the fields of hydraulics and river dynamics. He has presided over and participated in more than 180 key national and local research projects as well as major engineering application studies, including the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and projects under the National Key R&D Program of China. He has compiled 5 industrial standards. His academic accolades include 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 received numerous honorary titles, such as the First National Medal for Innovation and Excellence and National Excellent Scientific and Technological Professional. He was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2021.

His previous administrative appointments include: Vice Dean and then Dean of the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University; Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Hohai University (seconded as Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of Huaihe River Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources from 2012 to 2014); Party Secretary of Hohai University; President and Deputy Party Secretary, then Party Secretary of South China University of Technology.

In July 2026, he was appointed President and Deputy Party Secretary of Sun Yat-sen University.