On Nov 18, 2021, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) published its list of 90 newly-elected academicians, 65 Chinese and 25 foreigners. Zhemin Tan of the School of Atmospheric Sciences (SAS), Nanjing University, is one of the 65 Chinese scientists to receive this academic honor, and is the 13th academician from SAS. Now, SAS has 3 Chinese academicians and 1 foreign academician.
Professor Zhemin Tan was born in 1965 in Yixing, Jiangsu. He is the Executive Vice President of NJU and a full professor of SAS. Tan has received a number of honors and awards including the National Distinguished Young Scholar Research Foundation Award from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2003, and the Cheung-Kong Scholar Chair Professor of Meteorology from the Ministry of Education of China in 2006, and was elected as academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since in 2021.
Tan received his B.S. degree, M.S. degree, and Ph.D. degree in Meteorology from NJU. He has been on the faculty in the Department of Meteorology, Nanjing University, since 1991, and has been a full professor of SAS, NJU, since 1999. Tan was the Head of the Department of Meteorology, NJU from 1998-2006, and the Director of Key Laboratory of Mesoscale Severe Weather, Ministry of Education of China and Nanjing University from 2000-2010. Tan has been the Vice President of NJU since 2009, and was appointed as Executive Vice President since 2019. Tan has been served on numerous advisory boards. He had been the vice-president of Chinese Meteorological Society, member of International Committee for Dynamic Meteorology (ICDM), vice-president of China National Committee for THORPEX, co-chair of the Discipline Evaluation Group for Atmospheric Science of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Earth Science Division of National Natural Science Foundation of China. Tan is currently served as chair of China National Committee for World Weather Research Programme (WWRP), vice-president of China National Committee of International Association of Meteorological and Atmospheric Science (IAMAS), member of National Expert Committee on Climate Change, director of Atmospheric Sciences Teaching Advisory Committee of Ministry of Education of China, and member of Discipline Development and Teaching Advisory Committee in Higher Education of Ministry of Education of China. He also serves on editorial board of several journals including Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Journal of Meteorological Research and Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.
Tan has concentrated on atmospheric dynamics, tropical cyclone dynamics and atmospheric predictability. He has made tremendous efforts and contributions for advancing the basic research of atmospheric dynamics, tropical cyclones and planetary boundary layer, bridging the theoretical research and practical prediction for the severe weather, and more importantly, gaining international influences for China's scientific and technological developments. As an outstanding scientist, Tan has also dedicated himself in education. He presided over the reform of the Double Three System undergraduate talent cultivation system of Nanjing University, and was awarded the Special Prize for National Higher Education and Teaching Achievement Award by the State Council of China.