The Synthesis Research Center's research focuses on ecosystem carbon, nitrogen and water cycles and their coupling mechanism, responses and adaptation of terrestrial ecosystems to global change ecosystem, modeling and integrative analyses.

The Synthesis Research Center's also is the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network(CERN) Synthesis Center and The Chinese National Ecological Research Network （CNERN） Synthesis Center, responsible for monitoring data collection, management and sharing, and achievement publishing. The center also is in charge of organizing regional and national changing trend prediction of resources, ecology and environment; conducting important scientific researches; and releasing national key regions and main ecosystem situation reports; to provide information and consultancy for decision making and planning of the related key issues concerning national economic construction.

The Synthesis Research Center has 5 full professors, 11 associate professors, and 6 assistant professors.

Professor Yu Guirui is the director of the Synthesis Research Center, Professor Li Shenggong and assistant professor He Honglin are the assistant directors.