Education and Qualifications
1989: BSc. Zhejiang University, PR China (soil science and plant nutrition)
1992: MSc Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China.
1998: PhD University of London (Imperial College), UK. (environmental science)
Current positions: Head, Department of Soil Environmental Sciences, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and adjunct reader Aberdeen University, UK, Visiting Professor, The University of Adelaide, Australia;
Awards: Royal Society of London, Research Fellowship (1994); Outstanding Overseas Young Chinese Award (A prestigious award for young Chinese scientists returning to China from Overseas, 2002), National Award of Outstanding Young Scientists (2006), and Top ten Youth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2007).
Employment history:
1992-1994: Assistant Research Scientist, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of
Sciences.
1994 - 1995: Royal Society Research Fellow, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
1998-2001: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Soil and Water, The University of Adelaide
Service to the discipline:
Member, Standing Advisory Group of Nuclear Applications, International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA)
Advisory Editorial Board: Trends in Plant Science
Section editor, Plant and Soil
Editorial board, Environmental Pollution
Editorial board, Environment International
Past Vice Chair: 3.5 Soil degradation control, remediation, reclamation
He has been actively working on the biogeochemistry of trace elements in soil-plant systems, and have been promoting the research in this area through international publications and collaborations. I am also the chair of the 9th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements to be held in Beijing (July 2007).
His intention to lead the Commission on “Soils, food security and human health” is to bring experts together for workshops and training courses for academic exchanges and training younger generations, and to develop strategies for public communication and to influence policy makers at different levels of the importance of soils in maintaining the human welfare. Emphasis will be given to areas with vulnerable natural resources, such as Africa and SE and Central Asia. Through this Commission, he would like to improve the internationalization of the soil science community from these regions.