Four Foreign Experts from XIEG Honored with Tianshan Award

On June 4, the People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held the Tianshan Award Ceremony and Foreign Experts Forum, recognizing the contribution of foreign experts honored with the Tianshan Award from 2021 to 2023. Among the honorees were Akash Tariq, Bozorov Tohir, Rafiq Hamdi, and Rahimi Farhod from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Jilili Abuduwaili, Deputy Director of XIEG, congratulated all the honorees and introduced XIEG’s efforts in attracting talents, building platforms, and scientific collaboration. “XIEG will continue to serve well foreign experts, promote international cooperation, provide sci-tech support for Xinjiang’s development, and improve the livelihoods of neighboring countries,” he stated.

Akash Tariq, Bozorov Tohir, and Rafiq Hamdi, used to be PIFI visiting scientist, are now working full-time at XIEG. Akash Tariq, specializes in ecological research, whose research findings have a great value and practical implications in terms of combating desertification, improving vegetation restoration, and sustainable development in Xinjiang region. Bozorov Tohir has long been engaged in the research of plant-pathogen defense response and interaction mechanism, making outstanding contributions to the plant-pest interaction and the control of plant pests in the Xinjiang Tianshan wild fruit forest. Rafiq Hamdi’s expertise lies in regional climate modeling, surface modeling, urban meteorology, land-use and land-cover change, and urban climate under global warming, as well as surface/atmospheric interactions.

Furthermore, Rahimi Farhod, an academician from the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, serves as a scientific advisor at the Dushanbe Branch of the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, CAS. He previously held positions as the first Deputy Minister of the Education and Science Ministry of Tajikistan and President of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. He has been instrumental in promoting scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between China and Tajikistan, making remarkable contributions especially in the development of scientific research platforms between the two countries, joint investigations on climate change, modern agricultural development, efficient use of resources, environmental protection, key technology demonstration, and personnel training.

To date, 18 foreign experts from XIEG have received the Tianshan Award. This award, the highest honor awarded by the Xinjiang government, recognizes foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the region’s economic and social development. The award is presented to 5 to 10 foreign experts each year. 

Kaiser Abdukerim, Vice Chairman of the Xinjiang government, presenting the award to Bozorov Tohir

Representatives from XIEG

Group photo

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn