Saleem H. Ali is Chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware (United States of America). He also serves as Lead for Critical Metals and Inclusive Energy Transitions at the United Nations University and is a member of the United Nations International Resource Panel. Before embarking on an academic career, Saleem Ali worked as an environmental health and safety professional at General Electric Corporation. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts (USA), Saleem Ali grew up in Lahore, Pakistan, until his college years, receiving his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tufts University and his master’s and PhD degrees in environmental policy and planning from Yale University and MIT, respectively. 

His laurels include being a National Geographic Explorer, with field experience in more than 160 countries and all continents; being selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum; and serving on the boards of notable non-profit charitable organizations including RESOLVE, Adventure Scientists, and Mediators Beyond Borders International. He is also Honorary Professor, University of Queensland (Australia); Senior Fellow, Columbia University's Center on Sustainable Investment; and Affiliate of the Gund Institute for the Environment in Vermont. Saleem Ali's books include Soil to Foil: Aluminum and the Quest for Industrial Sustainability (Columbia University Press); Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life (Oxford University Press); and Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future (Yale University Press). Saleem Ali is a citizen of the United States of America by birth; Pakistan by parental lineage; and Australia by naturalization.