In the recent virtual conference Bryophytes, lichens, and northern ecosystems in a changing world (BL2021) on July 9, 2021, the International Association of Bryologists (IAB) announced that Prof. ZHANG Li, a bryologist from the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen, China received the Grolle Award for Excellence in Bryodiversity Research.
The award is named after Riclef Grolle, one of the most eminent bryologists of the 20^th century, and is awarded every two years to a bryologist who has contributed significantly to the knowledge of bryodiversity. So far, there are 7 recipients worldwide, and Prof. ZHANG is the second Chinese bryologist to receive this award.
  

Prof. ZHANG is currently the Deputy Director and research professor of Fairy Lake Botanical Garden. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong in 2001. He was research intern, assistant researcher and associate researcher at the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1990-2005), research associate at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2002-2003), and postdoctoral fellow at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA (2004-2005). He is also the Chair of the Bryological Committee, Botanical Society of China (since 2018), associate editor of the journal HATTORI (since 2018), and member of the editorial board of the Plant Science Journal (since 2014).
Prof. Zhang has been long engaged in bryodiversity investigation, research and science education. He has carried out extensive field surveys covering most of the provinces and regions in China and parts of six continents, with special attention to the bryodiversity in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the karst region of SW China. Together with his team, he has published more than ten books and hundreds of scientific papers and science education articles, such as "Bryophyte Flora of Macao", "Bryophyte Flora of Guangdong", "Higher Plants of China in Colour (Volume I)", "Field Guide to Wild Plants of China (Bryophytes)", "The Miniature Angles in the Plant Kingdom: An Introduction to Bryophytes" (First, Second and Chinese-English editions) and "The Magic and Enchantment of Bryophytes" (Chinese-English, Chinese-Portuguese and Extended editions). Among them, "The Miniature Angles in the Plant Kingdom: An Introduction to Bryophytes" is regarded as one of the best introductory books to bryophytes. He was awarded one of the "Top Ten Science Communication Experts in Guangdong in 2017", and was appointed as "Chief Science Communication Expert in the field of bryology research, scientific research management and science education" by China Association for Science and Technology in 2019.
Congratulations to Prof. Zhang.
Please visit http://bryology.org/iab-awards-2021/ for details about this award.