Cao Zhiling, male, Ph.D., professor, is a member of the Communist Party of China. He was born in Hengyang, Hunan province. He joined the CPC in May 1999 and began his career in July 1993. He has held positions including Staff Member at the Wuxi Branch of Jiangsu Textile Industry Design Institute; Director of the Management Teaching & Research Section, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office, Deputy Director of the Student Affairs Office, and Director of the Admissions and Employment Office within the Department of Economic Management at Hunan  Building Materials College. Subsequently, he served as Director of the University Office and Director of the International Office concurrently with Director of the Development Research Office, and Director of the University Office concurrently with Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office at Hunan Institute of Technology. He has also served as a Member of the CPC Committee and Vice President, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President, and later as Secretary of the CPC Committee of Hunan Institute of Technology.

He primarily engages in research on industrial and market development, as well as institutional innovation. He has been honored with two provincial Teaching Achievement Awards and three provincial and municipal Social Science Achievement Awards. He has published three academic monographs and authored over 40 academic papers in journals such as the People’s Daily (Theory Edition) and Economic Geography. He has led more than ten vertical research projects, including a National Social Science Fund of China, and has directed or participated in over ten horizontal scientific and technological development projects. Furthermore, he has overseen the establishment of one national-level pilot unit for educational evaluation reform, one national first-class undergraduate program, one provincial applied characteristic discipline, one provincial social science research base, and one provincial comprehensive reform pilot program. He has been honored with titles such as Excellent Communist Party Member in Hunan Provincial Higher Education Institutions.

He serves as the Party Committee Secretary of HIE, overseeing Party Committee operations, responsible for united front work, and managing the United Front Department and the Party Committee of the institute. He is also in charge of liaising with the School of Marxism Studies, Non-Party Intellectuals association of the institute and Non-Party personage.