As President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) — the national scientific think tank and academic governing body — Chunli Bai is a leading figure in science in China. In particular, Chunli has pioneered the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and his many research achievements include the design and development of China’s first atomic force microscope.

After a postdoctoral position in physical chemistry at Caltech in the mid-1980s, Chunli returned to China where he expanded his work on scanning tunnelling microscopy. The tools he built provided his fellow researchers with the first means to characterise and manipulate single atoms and molecules and the surfaces of materials on the nanoscale.

Since joining the leadership of CAS in 1996 as Vice-President, and becoming President in 2011, Chunli has encouraged international scientific cooperation. His aim is to boost the quality and application of science that originates in China and to create further opportunities for collaboration.