Mr. DU Zhanyuan is a member of the Communist Party of China. He was engaged in farming in Huarong County of Hunan province from 1977 to 1978. He graduated from Hunan Agricultural University in 1982, majoring in Phytophysiology and Biochemistry. Three years later, he got an M.S. degree from the College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Agricultural University. From 1985 to 1989, He worked at China Rural Technology Development Center of the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC). In 1993, he graduated from University of Massachusetts with a PhD in plant and soil sciences. From 1993 to 2008, he served as Deputy Director and Director of SSTC Department of Planning, then as Director, Deputy Director General, and Director General of Development Planning after SSTC was reshuffled into MOST. Later, he chaired the Department of Rural Science and Technology. In August 2008, he was appointed as Vice Minister and Member of the Leading Party Group of MOST.