Han Weng

Dr Weng’s research has global implications for the restoration of soil organic carbon in arable lands. As direct evidence of how his research impacts on climate change policy making, his first-author papers in Nature Climate Change (>170 citations since 2017) and Soil Biology & Biochemistry (>70 citations since 2015) were cited in policy recommendations by the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, Royal Society (UK), PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assist policy makers from 195 countries in developing climate policy in agriculture. This is a rare achievement for an early career researcher and highlights the potential of his soil carbon research for policy adaptation.

In addition to his academic excellence, Dr Weng’s research has already had considerable impact in the grains industry in Australia. He has established links with key industry partner organizations and government agencies, including the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), NSW Department of Primary Industries, CSIRO, Agriculture Victoria and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. His research brings practical benefits on management practice. He has developed new techniques to fingerprint soil carbon functionality and distribution which can provide important indicators for soil health and productivity under climate extremes. He has been interviewed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) and featured twice on GRDC Groundcover for his synchrotron experiments on soil carbon studies.

Dr Weng has fostered strong international collaboration, including with Cornell University (USA), the Instituto Nacional de Metrologia (National Institute of Metrology, Brazil), Technical University of Munich (Germany, sister University to UQ), and Rothamsted Research (UK). He has 89 co-authors from five continents (North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia). His diverse publication record reflects the strong professional network he has established and his ability to work productively with large teams of researchers from academic and government institutions. He continues to collaborate with early mentors, indicative of his ability to maintain strong professional relationships.

His demonstrated expertise, productivity and impact have rapidly established him as a leading early career researcher in soil carbon research. His communication and project management skills developed in universities and government agencies has accelerated his growth as a scientist. He is motivated and ideally placed to continue to develop his independent research program creating real-world impact on building soil carbon to draw down atmospheric CO2 and improving soil health.