Bai Qingzhong started working at Tsinghua University in 1970. He was transferred to the Division of Nuclear Environment Engineering within the Department of Environmental Engineering in 1977. His research interests included solid waste pollution control, solid waste treatment and recycling. He served as the president of the National Environmental Design Institute and the secretary-general of the Solid Waste Disposal and Utilization Committee of the Industry Association. He retired as a professor in 2007.