Dr. Jianli Chen is a professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, he had spent 28 years of his academic career at the Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include global climate change, geodynamics and applications of space geodetic techniques. He is an IAG fellow and a recipient of 2005 US Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).