Ali Cheshmehzangi is the World´s top 2% field leader, recognised by Stanford University. He is an urbanist and urban designer by profession and by heart. He studies cities and city transitions, sustainable urbanism, and integrated urban design strategies. He has recently taken a senior leadership and management role at Qingdao City University (QCU). He is Professor of Urban Planning, Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching, Learning, and Research, and Advisor to the Department´s international communications at QCU. Over 11 years at his previous institute, Ali was Full Professor in Architecture and Urban Design, Head of the Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Founding Director of the Urban Innovation Lab, Director of Center for Sustainable Energy Technologies, Interim Head of Research Group for Sustainable Built Environment, and Director of Digital Design Lab. He was Visiting Professor and now Research Associate of the Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS), Hiroshima University, Japan. So far, Ali has published over 300 journal papers, articles, conference papers, book chapters, and reports. His other 13 books are titled Smart-Eco Cities in China: Trends and City Profiles 2016 ´ (2016), Designing Cooler Cities ´ (2017), the award-winning Eco-development in China ´ (2018), Sustainable Urban Development in the Age of Climate Change ´ (2019), Identity of Cities and City of Identities ´ (2020), the double award-winning The City in Need ´ (2020), Urban Memory in City Transitions ´ (2021), Sustainable Urbanism in China ´ (2021), China´s Sustainability Transitions ´ (2021), Urban Health, Sustainability, and Peace in the Day the World Stopped ´ (2021), Green Infrastructure in Chinese Cities ´ (2022), ICT, Cities, and Reaching Positive Peace ´ (2022), and China´s City Cluster Development in the Race to CarbonNeutrality ´ (2022). Ali is globally known for his research on urban sustainability´.
