Profile - Dr. Wanchang Zhang, Ph.D. | WebLog Open Access Publications LLC

Editor Profile

Dr. Wanchang Zhang, Ph.D.

Professor

Present

Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing 100094

China

Dr. Wanchang Zhang, born in January 1966 in Shihezi, Xinjiang, is a distinguished scientist and "Hundred Talents Program" researcher supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He serves as a Professor and Doctoral Advisor at the Aerospace Information Research Institute, CAS, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as a UNESCO Extraordinary Professor. In 2000, he joined Nanjing University as a specially appointed professor, where he founded and served as the inaugural Executive Deputy Director of the International Institute for Earth System Science.

Dr. Zhang specializes in applying remote sensing and GIS to ecological, hydrological, and environmental research, focusing on water resources, global climate change, and disaster science. He has held key roles as an advisor and evaluator for national and international projects and is affiliated with numerous academic organizations. His pioneering work includes the development of the ESSI distributed eco-hydrological and environmental simulation systems, widely used in hydrology and environmental assessment. He has also advanced practical deep-learning models for disaster monitoring, risk assessment, and early warning.

With over 400 publications, including 260 SCI/EI-indexed articles (three ESI Highly Cited Papers), and co-authored four books, Dr. Zhang has significantly contributed to his field. His research has earned him 12 national patents and 14 software copyrights, and he was awarded the 2021 Hebei Science and Technology Progress Award (Second Prize). Google Scholar records 6,898 citations of his work with an H-index of 42.

Since 2001, Dr. Zhang has supervised nearly 60 graduate and postdoctoral researchers, including nine international Ph.D. students, with many receiving prestigious awards, including the CAS President’s Award and the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding International Students.

Educational Background

July 1983 – June 1987: Bachelor of Science in Engineering Geology, Department of Hydrology, Chengdu University of Technology.
July 1987 – June 1990: Master of Science in Geography, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
February 1993 – March 1996: Master of Science in Atmospheric and Hydro-spheric Sciences, UNESCO Special Program, Nagoya University, Japan; awarded the Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship for international students.
March 1997 – March 2000: Ph.D. in Earth System Science (Remote Sensing and GIS), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan; supported as a Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellow.

Research and Professional Experience

July 1990 – March 1993: Assistant Researcher, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS.
May 1992 – December 1992: Visiting Scholar, Snow and Ice Disaster Research Laboratory, Japan Science and Technology Agency (STA Fellow).
April 1996 – March 1997: Research Fellow, Institute of Atmospheric and Hydro-spheric Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan.
April 2000 – October 2000: Researcher, Institute of Atmospheric and Hydro-spheric Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan.
November 2000 – January 2006: Professor and Executive Deputy Director, International Institute for Earth System Science, Nanjing University.
February 2006 – June 2009: Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Department of Earth Exploration and Information Science, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University.
July 2009 – June 2012: Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Center for Water Sciences, Nanjing University.
September 2005 – August 2009: Selected as a "CAS Hundred Talents Program" Research Fellow, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS.
July 2012 – September 2017: Researcher and Doctoral Supervisor, Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, CAS; served as Deputy Director of the Digital Agriculture and Global Disasters Research Laboratory and Director of the Global Disasters Research Laboratory.
September 2017 – Present: Director, Global Disasters Research Laboratory, Aerospace Information Research Institute, CAS; Deputy Director, CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence on Space Technology for Disaster Mitigation.

Remote Sensing and GIS for Global Change: Research on the impacts of global change on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere through remote sensing and GIS. This includes integrated monitoring and assessment of spatiotemporal changes and environmental effects of ecosystems (mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, grasslands) under global change conditions, as well as remote sensing-based monitoring and evaluation of ecological restoration measures and their effectiveness in the context of global change.
Environmental and Disaster Remote Sensing: Focused on monitoring, modeling, and forecasting environmental and disaster risks in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. This includes dynamic monitoring, evaluation, simulation, and prediction of resources, environment, and disasters using integrated space, air, and ground systems to reduce the impact and risks of natural hazards.
Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Utilization of GIS for regional modeling and spatial analysis, combined with remote sensing techniques for quantitative inversion, to advance Earth system science. This research includes using 3S (GIS, RS, GPS) technology to build models for spatiotemporal analysis and simulation of resource, environmental, and ecological changes, aiming to support sustainable regional development, propose development plans, and address key issues limiting economic growth.