Deli Chen is a Distinguished Professor and discipline leader of Soil and Environment Research in the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne and Director of the ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers.
He gained his BSc from Nanjing Agricultural University, MSoil Sci from the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and PhD from the University of Melbourne. Deli’s research focuses on the nitrogen dynamics of plant-soil systems, efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser, animal waste management, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and remediation of environmental pollution. He leads a multidisciplinary programme involving plant science, soil science, chemistry, chemical engineering and industries to produce a new generation of nitrogen fertilisers for transformational improvements in nitrogen use efficiency.
His research achievements have been recognised with the IFA Norman Borlaug Plant Nutrition Award (2024), as a lifetime Honorary Member of the International Union of Soil Sciences (2024), Frontiers Planet Prize (2023), Kingenta Agricultural Science Award (2019) and the Soil Science Australia JA Prescott Medal (2010). He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, Soil Science Australia and American Society of Agronomy. He was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to sustainable agriculture.
