Professor Li Zhigang, dean of the School of Urban Design at Wuhan University (WHU), has been elected a Fellow of the United Kingdom's Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS), the academy's highest honor recognizing exceptional contributions to social sciences.

Professor Li Zhigang, dean of the School of Urban Design at Wuhan University.

A recipient of China's National Natural Science Fund for Outstanding Youth, Professor Li also serves on the executive council of the Urban Planning Society of China and is co-editor-in-chief of the international journal Transactions in Planning and Urban Research.

His research centers on urban geography and urban-rural planning. He has published over 200 academic papers, including more than 100 indexed in SSCI and SCI, contributed to over ten books, and led or participated in nearly 100 major planning and consulting projects.

Professor Li's work on urban spatial restructuring and governance has significantly advanced theoretical frameworks, drawing on China's urban development as a case study.

His achievements have earned him multiple honors, including the Young Geographical Scientist Award and the China Youth Planning Science and Technology Award. He has also been named among China's Top Ten Research Advances in Geographical Science, CNKI Top 1 Percent Highly Cited Scholars, Elsevier's Highly Cited Chinese Researchers, and the world's top 2 percent of scientists.