Professor Honglie SUN is a pioneering resource scientist and geographer renowned for his expertise in soil geography and land resources. As a former Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and leader of major scientific expeditions on the Tibetan Plateau, his groundbreaking research elevated China to a global leadership position in Tibetan Plateau studies. A founding member of the China Society of Natural Resources, he served as editor-in-chief of China’s Resources Encyclopedia and played a pivotal role in establishing resource science as an independent discipline. He also spearheaded the creation of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), a landmark achievement in ecological research.

Professor SUN earned his bachelor’s degree in Soil Agrochemistry from Beijing Agricultural University in 1954 and later completed his master’s degree at the CAS-affiliated Shenyang Forestry Soil Research Institute in 1960. His distinguished career includes being elected as an academician of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 1987 and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1991. He has held key leadership roles such as Director of the Committee for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources of the CAS, Vice President of CAS, and Vice Chairman of the International Federation of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Currently, he serves in honorary and advisory capacities, including as Honorary Chairman of the China Society for Natural Resources, Honorary Chairman of the China Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Association, Vice President of the China Sustainable Development Research Association, and Executive Member of the International Committee for Scientific Data (CODATA). Additionally, he contributes globally as a Director of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).