The winners of the 5th Chimelong Award of the Chinese Zoological Society were announced recently. Professor Feng Jiang from the School of Environment at NENU received the Achievement Award, one of only two recipients nationwide.
Jointly established by the Chinese Zoological Society and the Chimelong Charity Foundation, the Chimelong Award comprises five categories: the Meritorious Service Award, the Achievement Award, the International Scholar Award, the Rising Star Award, and the Voyage Award. It recognizes zoological researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the field or demonstrate significant development potential. The Achievement Award is conferred on distinguished Chinese scientists who have long been engaged in zoological research and produced systematic and outstanding results.
Professor Feng Jiang has devoted more than three decades to research on order Chiroptera and is a key pioneer in the study of bat behavioral ecology in China. He was the first in the country to systematically investigate the plasticity and adaptive evolution of bat echolocation and communication calls, opening up new directions in bat acoustic research and advancing the development of behavioral ecology of Chiroptera in China. In recent years, he has pursued interdisciplinary exploration in bat biodiversity monitoring, ecosystem services, and the ecological mechanisms of zoonotic disease transmission, revealing the evolutionary mechanisms of bat populations, promoting bat diversity conservation, and applying his findings to the practical needs of national ecological protection.
He currently serves as Dean of the Institute of Ecological Science at NENU, Director of the National Demonstration Center for Experimental Ecology Education, Member of the Ecology Discipline Appraisal Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Member of the Teaching Advisory Committee for Nature Conservation and Environmental Ecology Programs of Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education, Chief Supervisor of the Chinese Zoological Society, President of the Jilin Zoological Society, and Vice President (part-time) of the Jilin Association for Science and Technology. He has led more than 60 national research projects, including major national science and technology programs, published over 200 SCI-indexed papers in leading journals in the field, authored seven academic monographs, and holds seven national invention patents. He has twice received the First Prize of the Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award as lead researcher.
Professor Feng Jiang leads a research team in animal ecology and conservation biology that ranks among the best in China and enjoys international recognition. Over the years, he has trained more than 100 graduate students, most of whom have grown into leading or core researchers in the field of animal ecology in China.
(From News Center, translated by Fu Yingying, revised by Chen Yanxu)
