Hard on the heels of being named among Science New Zealand’s Lifetime Achievement award winners, Dr Brent Clothier received more good news.

Dr Clothier, principal scientist at Plant and Food Research, is a world-leading soil and water scientist whose work on water footprinting, soil science and climate change has prepared New Zealand’s primary production systems for tomorrow’s challenges.

In January, he was nominated for Academician (Foreign Member) of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (Agricultural Division).

He has just been advised he is one of 29 elected in this 2019 biennial round.

There had been 64 Foreign Academicians already before this biennial year’s 2019 election.

Dr Clothier is the first Kiwi member in the CAE.

The announcement is recorded on http://news.sciencenet.cn/html (although the Google translator struggles beyond the “Brent” bit of Dr Clothier’s name).

Dr Clothier was nominated by five academicians. This year, nine divisions of CAE recommended 87 candidates for foreign academicians, 29 of whom were finally elected.

He was advised this is a full affirmation of his research achievements, academic level and international influence during his career as well as his achievements in promoting the development of China’s agricultural water management discipline through cooperation and exchanges with Chinese scientists.

A congratulatory email expressed the hope “that will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with Chinese scientists, and make greater contributions to promoting the scientific and technological progress of agricultural water management in China and enhancing the international influence of Chinese scientists!”