At the invitation of the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) and the Chinese Astronomical Society, Professor Roger Blandford, Chairman of the decadal review committee of the US National Research Council, visited Beijing from November 1-3, 2010.

During the visit, Professor ZHAN Wenlong, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) met Professor Blandford and informed him of China’s Science & Technology Roadmap to 2050, in particular in the field of astrophysics. Professor Blandford also gave a brief description of the US decadal survey for astrophysics  2020. Both sides exchanged ideas on the current development of the astronomical society and its international cooperation. In the visit, Professor Blandford was also invited to deliver lectures at the annual meeting of the Chinese Astronomical Society in Nanning, the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (KIAA) at Beijing University, and also NAOC.

Roger Blandford is the Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Science at Stanford University and the Pehong and Adele Chen Director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2010, Roger Blandford chaired the decadal review committee of the National Research Council.