Zhou Jianmin

Zhou Jianmin (; born July 1956) is a Chinese soil scientist, academic administrator, and politician. He is a researcher at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and formerly served as vice chairperson of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairperson of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (CPWDP).

Zhou's research has focused on soil science, plant nutrition, agricultural chemistry, and sustainable land use. He served as director of the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and later as president of the .

Biography

Zhou was born in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, in July 1956. He worked as a secondary school teacher in Ganyu County from 1975 to 1978 before entering the Department of Chemistry at Nanjing University, where he specialized in catalysis. After graduating in 1982, he pursued postgraduate studies in agricultural chemistry at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Following completion of his master's degree, Zhou joined the Institute of Soil Science as a researcher. Between 1987 and 1988, he was a visiting scholar at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. He subsequently remained at the university for doctoral and postdoctoral research in the Department of Soil Science from 1989 to 1995, earning a doctorate in agricultural sciences.

After returning to China in 1995, Zhou resumed his work at the Institute of Soil Science and rapidly advanced through its leadership ranks. He became head of the Division of Soil and Plant Nutrition in 1997, assistant director of the institute later that year, deputy director in 1998, and director in December 1999. In May 2005, he was appointed vice president of the Nanjing Branch of Chinese Academy of science while continuing to serve as director of the Institute of Soil Science. In December 2007, he became president of the Nanjing Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In parallel with his scientific career, Zhou became active in the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, one of China's legally recognized minor political parties. He was elected chairperson of its Jiangsu Provincial Committee in 2007 and later became a member of the Standing Committee of the party's Central Committee. In January 2008, he was elected vice chairperson of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, serving until 2017.