Chuan Liao is an interdisciplinary sustainability and environmental social scientist. Chuan’s research interest lies at the intersection of environment, development, and justice. He develops and applies integrated approaches to study human-environment interactions by linking statistical, spatial, and other quantitative methods. He has worked on topics that include land tenure and land use change, dryland system sustainability, sustainable energy transition, and circular bionutrient economy. He was Editor-in-Chief of World Development in 2021 and 2022, and sits on the International Advisory Board of Journal of Peasant Studies.