Wind-blown sand hazards have always been a key challenge for economic and social development and ecological conservation in arid areas. In response to the need for desertification prevention and ecological conservation in Xinjiang, LEI Jiaqiang strives to promote the technologies of desertification control. He and his team have undertaken a series of desertification control projects related to railways, highways, oil fields, water conservancy, and others in China.

After working abroad in Singapore and Germany for six years, Dr. HU Benlin chose to settle down in Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), where he gained his PhD. Owing to the dense and lively research atmosphere here, he collaborates with his research group to drive the evolution of elastic electronic materials.

After studying and working in Aachen for eight years, Dr. CHANG Keke chose to settle down in its sister-city, Ningbo, and joined Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE). With the support of a well-developed research group, he is committed to unlocking the potential of new materials in deep-sea exploration and aerospace technology.

Born in Ningbo, Dr. WANG Rong pursued a PhD in Singapore. His childhood experience witnessing a life-saving miracle through implant devices ignited his unwavering commitment to innovation, leading him to a career in biomedical polymers. Today, he collaborates with a vibrant team, crafting liquid wound dressings and bone adhesives that are transforming healthcare at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

WANG Yunan, an innovator at Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, leading the way. On a mission to revolutionize clean energy with high-performance, low-cost PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cells, Dr. WANG's journey from Japan's academia to industry has converged at NIMTE in 2022. Now in Ningbo, she collaborates with her team to tackle hydrogen energy challenges.

WEI Chao, a visionary overseas returnee who honed his expertise in laser processing for extreme manufacturing during his eight-year expedition at the University of Manchester. Now in vibrant Ningbo, he's leading groundbreaking research at the Research Centre for Laser Extreme Manufacturing, nestled within the thriving ecosystem of Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Merdan Keyum was born in 1987 in what is today Gaochang District of the city of Turpan. Located only dozens of kilometers from the Kumtag Desert, the city is frequently plagued by sandstorms that often cause power outages and halt farmwork in springtime. He is now based in the Qira station under the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, located in Qira County, on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert, also known as the "Sea of Death."

Since 2004, YANG Zhaoping at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography has had a strong desire to "connect Xinjiang to the world". For 20 years, she has been striving for this goal. As the chief scientist, YANG has established Xinjiang Tourism Academy and Xinjiang Digital Heritage and Smart Tourism Engineering Technology Research Center, successfully applied for the Xinjiang Tianshan World Natural Heritage, and built a multilingual information service platform for Silk Road digital heritage and tourism.

You Xianlong, a 36-year-old resident engineer at the Ngari Observatory in Tibet Autonomous Region, is responsible for equipment observation and operation maintenance along with seven colleagues. He is also the longest-serving engineer at the observatory. You's career began in 2006 when he met Yao Yongqiang, a scientist at the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who was looking for workers to conduct long-term measurements in challenging plateau environments. Since then, You has been working at the Ngari Observatory for 17 years.

Tojibaev Komiljon from Uzbekistan has had a lifelong passion for plant research. As a child, his interest was inspired by his father. Following his graduation, he pursued further studies at the Institute of Botany under Uzbekistan’s Academy of Sciences. In the past decade, Komiljon has been working closely with his counterparts in China on projects such as establishing the Global Allium Garden and setting up joint laboratories. As the curator of the National Herbarium of Uzbekistan, he is working with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences to digitize its collection of 1.7 million plant specimens.

"I want to be a scientist and I believe knowledge can change my life and fate. I could stand on a higher platform and accomplish greater things," said CAO Hujun, an Associate Professor at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), where he actively engages in world-class research in hydrogen storage materials.

Depression is still more or less believed to be a purely psychological disease in popular perception but cutting-edge brain research, which delves into the recesses of the human brain, is trying to fully explain the physio-chemical process. This offers the potential for the development of fast-acting drugs for people afflicted with the disease. At the forefront of this research is Zhu Shujia, a senior researcher at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.