Professor Weiguo Zhang, a Physical Geographer at East China Normal University in Shanghai, focuses his research on geomorphology, sedimentology, and coastal environmental processes. His work aims to understand human-nature interactions in coastal zones over various timescales and to support sustainable coastal management. As a Principal Investigator, he has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and has received awards from the Geographical Society of China, the Ministry of Education of China, and the Shanghai Municipality. He serves as an Academy Member of Future Earth Coasts (since 2019), a Member of the Scientific Steering Committee of Future Earth Coasts (2016-2019), and an Associate Editor of Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (since 2017).

Professor Huib de Vriend is Emeritus Professor River Engineering and Morphology at Delft University of Technology. Before his retirement in 2012, he was Director of Science of Deltares (formerly WL Delft Hydraulics) and Professor of River Engineering and Morphology at Delft University of Technology. Prof. de Vriend was Director of the EcoShape Foundation, which co-ordinates the 'Building with Nature' innovation programme executed by a consortium of government agencies, universities, research organizations, consultants and engineering contractors. He has over 200 scientific publications in the fields of rivers and estuarine, coastal and seabed dynamics. Prof. de Vriend was a member of the Dutch National Commission for the EIA and of the think-tank on flood safety of the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment.