Saleem H. Ali holds the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professorship in Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware and is Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland. He is a National Geographic Explorer (having travelled for research to over 150 countries) and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He also served on the seven-member science panel of the Global Environment Facility (the world's largest multilateral trust fund for the environment, held in trusteeship by the World Bank). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Geographical Society in the United Kingdom, and serves on the boards of Adventure Scientists and Mediators Beyond Borders International. His books include Treasures of the Earth: Need Greed and a Sustainable Future.