Professor Chen Xi currently serves as the Dean of the School of Geoinformatics at Zhejiang University of Technology and Director (China side) of the International Joint Laboratory of Central Asian Spatio-temporal Intelligence and Sustainable Development. He previously served as Secretary of the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, and Director of the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia.

A leading expert in arid zone ecology, remote sensing, and geographic information systems, Professor Chen is a Fellow of the Geographical Society of China and a national-level leading talent. He has led major national projects, including the National 973 Program, key international cooperation projects, and scientific expeditions in Central Asia and Xinjiang. He has published over 300 SCI papers and received three National Science and Technology Progress Awards (Second Class), the Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Progress Award, and the National Innovation and Excellence Award. Professor Chen is also an Academician of the National Academies of Sciences of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences.