ZHU Jiaojun, director of the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in 2023.

The CAE announced the results of its biennial election on November 22, 2023, adding 74 new academicians to its ranks. The CAE is the highest academic institution in engineering and technology in China, and its members are selected for their outstanding contributions to the field.

ZHU Jiaojun has been engaged in the research of shelterbelt ecology and forestry ecological engineering. He has focused on the frontier scientific issues of how to achieve efficient, stable and sustainable functions of shelterbelts, and has innovated the theory and technology system of shelterbelt cultivation, construction and evaluation based on the world's largest ecological engineering project - the Three-North Shelterbelt Program (TNSP).

The TNSP, also known as the Green Great Wall, is a massive afforestation project that aims to prevent desertification and soil erosion in northern China. It was launched in 1978 and is expected to be completed by 2050.

ZHU Jiaojun pioneered the cultivation theory and management technology of "one period, two ages and three stages", filling the gap in the cultivation theory of shelterbelts oriented by ecological functions. He also proposed the construction concept and pattern optimization technology, breaking through the bottleneck of engineering planning and design technology. He built an integrated evaluation system, and a construction scheme based on the evaluation system, solving the difficulties of long-term, multi-scale and multi-factor forestry engineering evaluation. He provided the core technical support for the revision of the overall plan of the TNSP.

ZHU Jiaojun has led or participated in a series of major national projects such as the 973 Program, the National Natural Science Foundation, and the Key Research and Development Program. He has published 320 papers (122 SCI papers) as the first or corresponding author in journals such as Nature Climate Change, and six monographs such as Shelterbelt Ecology. He has also made 10 consulting suggestions adopted by the state, which urged the formulation of several national laws, regulations, industry standards and plans. He has established three national-level scientific research platforms, such as the field long-term research stations. He has won two second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, three first prizes at the provincial level, the Scientific Achievement Award of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, and the TWNSO Agricultural Collective Award. He was entrusted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration to evaluate the 40-year construction of the TNSP, formed a comprehensive evaluation report and a revised overall plan for the project until 2050, and held a press conference at the State Council Information Office. His research team was also awarded the National Advanced Collective for the construction of the TNSP.