Hongwei Zhang, H-index: 15, Master's Supervisor. Backbone member of the Hubei Provincial Young Social Science Talents Innovation Team; Member of the Professional Committee on Smart Cultivated Land Utilization and Protection Engineering, Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering; Member of the Asian Geographical Society; Member of the Geographical Society of China; Member of the China Society of Natural Resources, etc. He has successively presided over one project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), one project funded by the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and more than 20 other provincial/ministerial-level scientific research projects. As the first author, corresponding author, and other author, he has published more than 30 relevant academic papers in Chinese and English journals such as Journal of Rural Studies, Applied Geography, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, China Land Science, and China Population, Resources and Environment; co-authored 2 Chinese monographs. He has received one Hubei Provincial Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award. He serves as an anonymous reviewer for more than ten 

internationally renowned journals, including Land Use Policy, Cities, Journal of Rural Studies, Applied Geography, Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, Regional Sustainability, International Journal of Digital Earth, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Sustainable Cities and Society, and iScience; Editorial Board Member of Social Sciences & Humanities Open (2024–2025); Assistant Editor and Guest Editor for journals such as Land and Frontiers in Environmental Science; Expert in the Ministry of Education's National Undergraduate Thesis (Design) Sampling Review Expert Database; and Expert in the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology Authoritative Expert Database.

His main research focuses on land use and land ecology from the perspective of complex networks, specifically including: 1. Territorial spatial ecological restoration and comprehensive land consolidation across the entire region; 2. Global land use/cover and its eco-environmental effects; 1. Networked governance of urban-rural land use efficiency.

Students majoring in land resource management, geography, ecology, computer science, mathematics, and other interdisciplinary fields are welcome to apply for Master's programs. Those who are optimistic, cheerful, and positive are welcome regardless of major.

Student Training:

2025 The 7th National College Students' Land National Conditions Survey Competition, National Level, First Advisor, First Prize;

2025 The 8th National College Students' Territorial Spatial Planning Skills Competition, National Level, First Advisor, Second Prize;

2024 The 4th National College Students' Land Consolidation and Ecological Restoration Engineering Innovation Design Competition, First Advisor, Grand Prize, awarded Outstanding Advisor;

2023 Li Yue: Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Advisor, awarded Outstanding Advisor;

Research Publications (Selected):

First Author:

[1] Hongwei Zhang, Ji Chai, Zhihui Li, Haiyang Li, John Gibson, Pankaj Kumar, Gui Jin, Global effects of progress towards SDGs on steeply sloped land use and land cover, Fundamental Research 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2025.11.013

[2] Zhang Hongwei, Li Jiani, Chai Ji, et al. Spatial correlation network and collaborative governance path of urban construction land use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt[J]. Resources and Environment in the Yangtze Basin. 2025. 34(02). 38-46.

[3] Hongwei Zhang, Zhanqi Wang, Ji Chai. Understanding government support for rural development in Hubei Province, China[J]. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2024, 11(01): 511

[4] Hongwei Zhang, Zhanqi Wang, Jiafeng Liu, et al. Selection of targeted poverty alleviation policies from the perspective of land resources-environmental carrying capacity[J]. Journal of Rural Studies. 2022. 93: p. 318-325. (JCR: Q1, IF: 5.157). (ESI Highly Cited Paper).

[5] Hongwei Zhang, Zhanqi Wang. Human activities and natural geographical environment and their interactive effects on sudden geologic hazard: A perspective of macro-scale and spatial statistical analysis[J]. Applied Geography, 2022, 143: 102711. (JCR: Q1, IF: 4.732).

[6] Hongwei Zhang, Zhanqi Wang, Ji Chai. Land use\cover change and influencing factors inside the urban development boundary of different level cities: A case study in Hubei Province, China[J]. Heliyon, 2022. (JCR: Q2, IF: 3.776). (Selected into Elsevier SDGs Literature Database).

[7] Hongwei Zhang, Zhanqi Wang, et al. Spatial–temporal characteristics of illegal land use and its driving factors in China from 2004 to 2017 [J]. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021. 18(3). 1336. (JCR: Q2, IF: 4.614).

[8] Zhang Hongwei, Wang Zhanqi, Zhang Liguo, et al. Research progress and prospects of construction land quota allocation in China[J]. Natural Resource Economics of China, 2021, 34(11): 10.

[9] Zhang Hongwei, Wang Zhanqi, Li Qiu, Mo Qiuling. Potential calculation of rural residential land consolidation at the village scale in high mountain areas[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. 2019. 35(22). 38-46.

[10] Zhang Hongwei, Wang Zhanqi, Chai Ji, Wei Chao, Chen Yilu. Suitability evaluation of rural residential land consolidation in mountainous areas based on the "source-sink" landscape theory: A case study of Fangxian County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province[J]. China Land Science. 2018. 32(11). 65-72. (High PCSI Paper, Top 1% High-Impact Paper).

[11] Zhang Hongwei, Wang Zhanqi, Xu Feng, Wei Chao. Optimization of high-standard basic farmland construction based on the characteristics of non-market value of cultivated land[J]. China Population, Resources and Environment. 2018. 28(01). 82-90.

Corresponding Author / Second Author:

[1] Ying Wang, Ji Chai, Hongwei Zhang*, et al. Evaluating construction land use efficiency under carbon emission constraints: A comparative study of China and the USA[J]. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2022. 29, 49998–50009. (JCR: Q2, IF: 5.19).

[2] Ying Wang, Hongwei Zhang*, Chen Zhang, et al. Is ecological protection and restoration of full-array ecosystems conducive to the carbon balance? A case study of Hubei Province, China[J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2021. 166. 120578. (JCR: Q1, IF: 10.884).

[3] Zhanqi Wang, Hongwei Zhang*, Ji Chai. Differences in urban built-up land expansion in Zhengzhou and Changsha, China: an approach based on different geographical features[J]. Sustainability. 2018. 10(11). 4258. (JCR: Q2, IF: 3.889).

Other Authors:

[1] Yunxiao Gao, Zhanqi Wang, Ji Chai, and Hongwei Zhang. Spatiotemporal mismatch of land use functions and land use efficiencies and their influencing factors: A case study in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2024, 34(1), pp. 62-88. (JCR: Q1, IF: 5.7).

[2] Haiyang Li, Ying Wang, Hongwei Zhang, Ruimin Yin, et al. The spatial-temporal evolution and driving Mechanism of urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin Cities[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024, 447, pp. 141614. (JCR: Q1, IF: 11.1).

[3] Ying Wang, Xiangzheng Deng, Hongwei Zhang, et al. Energy endowment, environmental regulation, and energy efficiency: Evidence from China[J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2022. 177. 121528. (JCR: Q1, IF: 10.884).

[4] Li Yu, Zhanqi Wang, Hongwei Zhang, et al. Spatial-temporal differentiation analysis of agricultural land use intensity and its driving factors at the county scale: A case study in Hubei Province, China[J]. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020. 17(18). 6910. (JCR: Q2, IF: 4.614).

[5] Di Zhang, Zhanqi Wang, Shicheng Li, Hongwei Zhang. Impact of land urbanization on carbon emissions in urban agglomerations of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River[J]. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021. 18(4). 1403. (JCR: Q2, IF: 4.614).

[6] Yang Bin, Wang Zhanqi, Zhang Hongwei, Tan Li. Evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of rural residential spatial patterns in high mountain poverty-stricken areas[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. 2021. 37(04). 285-293.

[7] Wang Wenwen, Ye Jing, Zhang Liguo, Wei Chao, Zhang Hongwei, Liu Hanhan. Ecological compensation from the perspective of main functional zones: A case study of Hubei Province[J]. Acta Ecologica Sinica. 2020. (21). 1-10.

[8] Bin Yang, Zhanqi Wang, Lei Zou, Lilin Zou, Hongwei Zhang. Exploring the eco-efficiency of cultivated land utilization and its influencing factors in China's Yangtze River Economic Belt, 2001–2018[J]. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021. 294. 112939. (JCR: Q1, IF: 8.91).

[9] Xu Feng, Wang Zhanqi, Zhang Hongwei, Chai Ji. Application of random forest algorithm in rural residential land suitability evaluation[J]. Resources Science. 2018. 40(10). 2085-2098.

[10] Chao Wei, Zhanqi Wang, Xi Lan, Hongwei Zhang, Mengjiao Fan. The spatial-temporal characteristics and dilemmas of sustainable urbanization in China: A new perspective based on the concept of Five-in-One[J]. Sustainability. 2018. 10(12). 4733. (JCR: Q2, IF: 3.889).

[11] Xu Feng, Wang Zhanqi, Zhang Hongwei. Research on rural residential land reuse incorporating ecological concepts[J]. Resources Science. 2017. 39(07). 1238-1247.

[12] Ji Chai, Zhanqi Wang, Hongwei Zhang. Integrated evaluation of coupling coordination for land use change and ecological security: A case study in Wuhan city of Hubei Province, China[J]. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017. 14(11). 1435. (JCR: Q2, IF: 4.614).

[13] Xiaowei Yao, Zhanqi Wang, Hongwei Zhang. Dynamic changes of the ecological footprint and its component analysis response to land use in Wuhan, China[J]. Sustainability. 2016. 8(4). 329. (JCR: Q2, IF: 3.889).

Research Projects:

1. 2026–2028 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Project, Principal Investigator.

2. 2024–2026 Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation General Project, Principal Investigator.

3. 2020–2023 Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Principal Investigator.

4. 2024–2027 Research on the Construction of Whole-Life-Cycle Monitoring Method System for Ecological Protection, Restoration and Utilization Projects in Wuhan, Technical Leader.

5. 2024–2027 Research on Mechanisms and Pathways for Social Capital Participation in Ecological Protection, Restoration and Utilization: A Thematic Study from an Economic Perspective, Technical Leader.

6. 2023–2027 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Project, Coupling Mechanism and Risk Management of Ecosystem Services and Farmers' Livelihood Well-being under Multi-dimensional Risk Interactions, Participant (Ranked 2nd).

7. 2025–2029 National Social Science Foundation of China Project, Research on the Formation Mechanism and Resolution Path of Territorial Spatial Function Conflicts, Participant (Ranked 3rd).

8. 2016–2020 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Project, Key Member.