Biographic Sketch

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I was born in central China, a riverine town approximately one hour away by car from the Yangtzi River. I spent most of my childhood in Guangzhou, Southern China's largest metropolis. My home then was right at the footslope of Mt. Baiyun (means 'white clouds'), a recreational site that is well known for its natural beauty and wildness. I particularly enjoyed outdoor adventures, such as mountain climbing, hiking, fishing, geological exploration, and so on. Because of these experiences and also the influence from Li, Si-Guang, a pioneer of China's geological science, I developed a strong interest in earth sciences since childhood.

I received my higher education from three different countries: China, Holland, and USA. I completed my undergraduate studies with major in Geological Science from Wuhan College of Geology (later renamed into the Chinese University of Geosciences-Wuhan) in 1986. My undergraduate thesis was on structural geology and sedimentology. Right after my graduation, I was admitted into the Master of Science in Paleontology and Stratigraphy Program, Beijing Graduate School, Wuhan College of Geology (later renamed into the Chinese University of Geosciences-Beijing). My master's thesis was under the direction of the late Academician Hao, Yichun and Prof. Mao, Shaozhi. As part of my MS thesis research, I conducted field work for a combined period of four months in the Taklamakan Desert, Xingjiang, China. After obtaining my first master's degree, I worked as a research scientist with the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in Beijing, China. My career transition from a geologist into a geographer is attributed to the influence from several colleagues I had been working with at the CAS including Prof. Yin, Zesheng and my expanding interest in understanding complex human-nature interactions.

In 1993, I went to Holland to pursue my second master's degree in Applied Geomorphology at the International Institute for Aerospace Surveys and Earth Sciences-ITC (now Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, the University of Twente). While at ITC, I spent approximately one month conducting field surveys in Italy, part of my remote sensing and applied geomorphological course work. In 1995, I moved to the United States and pursued my Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Georgia under the direction of the late Dr. C. P. Lo. My doctoral dissertation examined urban growth and landscape change in the Atlanta metropolitan region through the integration of satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems, and dynamic spatial modeling.

I began my first tenure-track academic position in USA with the University of West Florida. And after three years of teaching there, I moved to Florida State University in Fall 2003. I began my faculty appointment as an assistant professor at FSU, earned the tenure status in 2007, and was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 2013.

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Last update: Sunday, January 14, 2024 1:02 PM