Qin Dahe, 72, is currently the director and researcher at the (Organizing) Academic Committee of Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Qin, a Han Chinese, is a geographer, researcher, doctoral supervisor, a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of The Third World Academy of Sciences.

Qin once served as the deputy director of Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Cryopedology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, chief of the Key Laboratory of Ice Core and Cold Regions Environment, vice-president of Lanzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Resource and Environment Science and Technology Bureau under Chinese Academy of Sciences. In July 2007, the Chinese Academy of Sciences founded the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science under the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute in Lanzhou and named Qin Dahe as the head of the laboratory.

Qin has been engaged in the research on cryosphere and global changes for a long time and has organized multiple scientific expeditions and explorations in the Antarctic, Arctic, Asian hinterland and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau areas, recording many innovative achievements.

To name a few, Qin systematically studied the physical processes and climate and environment records in the surface layer of the Antarctic ice sheet, and his results on the snow layer metamorphism process, the relationship between a stable isotope ratio and temperature, the sources and transport of water vapor and impurities have been recognized by domestic and foreign counterparts, making China's Antarctic glaciology research among the internationally advanced league; Qin took the lead to launch cyclic experiments, observations and studies on snow and ice modern processes and snow and ice biogeochemistry, demonstrating the applicability of climate and environmental indicators in montanic ice cores in China; his study of glacial changes and ice core records in the Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, region revealed the modern environment and recent climate changes of the region at the highest elevation on Earth;

Qin was the first to propose the systematic concept of cryospheric science in the world and established the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science; he presided over the assessment of climate and environment changes and the evolution of western environment in China, which has promoted simultaneous development of climate change research in China and the world and made outstanding contribution in pushing forward China's research on the global changes and its cryosphere changes. He has won five science and technology achievement awards at national, provincial and ministerial levels, including two first prizes of Science Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one third prize of the National Science Award (ranking first). Qin has also published more than 300 papers and 15 monographs.