Research team
Hong Liao
Prof. Hong Liao leads the research on air quality-climate interactions. She has been developing aerosol and gas-phase chemistry modules, aiming to unravel the spatiotemporal variations of air pollutants and to simulate climate change caused by such changes. She also explores chemical mechanisms for ozone formation and the strategies for synergistic control of surface-layer PM2.5. She has published over 300 papers, including in prestigious journals such as Nature Climate Change, Nature Geoscience, Nature Communications, and PNAS. These advances in scientific researches and technological applications earn her various honors and recognitions. Key members of Liao’s group include Xu Yue, Yang Yang, Ke Li, Yuhao Mao, Lei Chen, Jia Zhu, Jianbing Jin, Baojie Li, Nan Li, and Zhenxin Liu.
Jianlin Hu
Fossil-fueled energy use emits gaseous and particulate air pollutants. Air pollutants alter the Earth’s climate, cause adverse health effects, and impact ecosystems. Our research aims to improve our understanding in three broad areas:
(1) Energy and Air Quality: We investigate anthropogenic and natural contributions to the chemical composition of the troposphere. We analyze the air quality impacts of changes associated with energy generation and use, agricultural activities, urbanization and economy development.
(2) Air Quality and Climate: We pursue research to understand the interactions between air pollution and climate, so that we can minimize the impacts of air pollution on climate and develop effective pollution control policy under a changing climate.
(3) Air Quality and Health: We seek to understand the sources and properties of air pollutants that are responsible for adverse health effects, to quantify the exposure of communities and human populations, and to find cost-effective strategies for reducing their ambient concentrations.
Xinlei Ge
The Aerosol MatterS (AMS) research group is a team of six experts, consisting of three professors (Xinlei Ge (PI), Junfeng Wang, Yun Wu) and three associate professors (Haiwei Li, Ming Wang, Yunjiang Zhang). Our focus lies in delving deeply into critical issues within the field of atmospheric chemistry. We are dedicated to uncovering the formation mechanisms, influencing factors, and impacts of air pollution on the environment and human health, and providing scientific support and solutions for addressing atmospheric pollution challenges. The research group specializes in the study of atmospheric environmental chemistry and air pollution control. We utilize various advanced techniques, including field observations (such as aerosol mass spectrometry), laboratory simulations (such as smog chamber experiments), and environmental big data analysis, to explore the formation mechanisms and sources of atmospheric aerosols, aging mechanisms and climate impacts of black carbon, as well as interactions between aerosols and cloud/fog. Simultaneously, we investigate the toxic effects and identification of toxic components in particulate matter, as well as the toxicological mechanisms of heavy metals, conducting assessments of pollutant mixture toxicity and health risk. Our research scope also encompasses indoor and outdoor air pollution monitoring and source tracing, heterogeneous formation processes and mechanisms of secondary pollutants and reactive oxygen species, as well as active control technologies for air pollution. Additionally, we pay attention to the atmospheric chemistry behavior and environmental effects of volatile organic compounds, ozone generation mechanisms, and control strategies. Through our research endeavors, we are committed to contributing to the alleviation of the impacts of atmospheric pollution, safeguarding the environment and human health, and providing scientific foundations for relevant policies and measures.
Xu Yue
Prof. Xu Yue leads the research group namedModeling of Air Pollution and Land Ecosystems(MAPLE).MAPLE group focuses on the interactions among air pollution, land ecosystems, and climate systems.Wedeveloped a dynamic global vegetation model YIBs, and coupled it with the global chemistry/climate models (including GC-YIBs and ModelE2-YIBs). Using these models,weexplored the impacts of air pollution on ecosystem functions and the feedback of biosphere to atmospheric components under the climate change.Wepublished more than 150 papers on professional journals including Nature and Science. Ourresearch will promote the integration of atmospheric science and ecology, serving the national critical needs for ecosystem carbon sequestration in the context of carbon neutrality.Currently the MAPLE group includes two associate professors (Jun Zhu and Xiaofei Lu).
Yang Yang
Prof. Yang Yang, as the leader of the research group of Atmospheric Environment and Climate Change (AECC) at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), specializes in the numerical and theoretical study of atmospheric chemistry/air quality, air pollutant source attribution, and interactions among air quality, meteorology, and climate change. He has published over 50 high-quality first/corresponding author papers, including three in Nature Communications. Prof. Yang hosts a task for the Key R & D plan and NSFC funding, and was supported by Jiangsu Outstanding Youth Foundation and hired as the Jiangsu Distinguished Professor. He won the Xie Yibing Youth Meteorological Science and Technology Award, first prize of Environmental Science and Technology, and Jiangsu Province University Scientific and Technological Research Third Award. Combining high-performance Earth system modeling with multivariate statistical analysis of global observations, the members of the research group are working on these research topics: the interactions between air pollutants and climate and weather extremes; the climate effects of anthropogenic emission reductions of aerosols under carbon neutrality; global source attribution of air pollution.
Jianghua Yu
The Water Pollution Control and Resource Recovery Research Group primarily focuses on the management of non-point source pollution and the resource recovery of rainwater, along with the study of pollutant land-to-water transfer processes. The group has independently developed several technologies, including a synergistic control process for multiple pollutants from urban non-point sources, a bio-targeted regulation technique based on constructed wetlands, and a rainfall treatment process design method based on recurrence intervals. The research findings have been successfully applied in areas such as mine wastewater treatment, aquaculture wastewater treatment, and the planning and construction of rainwater pipeline networks. Students with a background in environmental engineering, water supply and drainage, or water resources are welcome to join.
Ke Li
Prof.KeLi is leading the Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate modeling Group at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST). Prof. Li obtained Ph.D. degree from Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, USA and as a visiting researcher at CSIRO, Australia. He is the deputy director of Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change of Ministry of Education, co-lead of the East Asia Focus Working Group of Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (Phase II). Prof. Li’s research focuses on the modeling of atmospheric chemistry, tropospheric ozone, synergistic control of multiple pollutants, and chemistry-climate interactions. In the past five years, he has published over 40 papers (12 ESI highly cited papers) and received over 5000 citations, of which he is the first author of 4 papers in high-profile journals of PNAS, Nature Geoscience, Nature Communications. Dr. Li’s research was selected as the “Top 10 Science and Technology Advances in Ecology and Environment of China in 2019”, and the “Top 10 Science Advances in Nitrogen Cycle of China in 2021”.
Junfeng Wang
Prof. Dr. Junfeng Wang got his Ph.D. degree from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) in 2017. After graduation, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University supervised by Prof. Daniel Jacob and Prof. Scot Martin. Dr. Wang joined NUIST in Martch 2022 and is currently a full professor in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, now his group includes one postdoc, one PhD student, and five master's students. His main research interests include emission characteristics of organic compounds, formation mechanisms and environmental/climate impacts of atmospheric secondary aerosols. Dr. Wang has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications in internationally renowned journals such as PNAS, Nature Communications, ES&T, and GRL. Dr. Wang was awarded Gold Award for Young Scientists from Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences (2023), Excellent doctoral dissertation in Jiangsu Province (2019), Best of the Best in 2016 ESTL papers (2017), 100 excellent natural science papers in Jiangsu Province (2023). He serves as a Young Editorial Board Member of HEHA (journal), FESE (journal) and Chinese Environmental Science (journal, in Chinese).
Yunfei Bu
The UNNU lab stands attheforefront of addressing critical challenges in energy conversion and environmental sustainability. With a keen focus on Solid Oxide Cells (SOFC and SOEC), our research endeavors span a broad spectrum including H2 production, CO2 reduction, and the pioneering design and application of complex oxide heterostructure catalysts. Our team includesYunfei Bu, Yunxia Zhao, Qian Lu, Xiaozhen Hu. Our significant contributions to the scientific community are reflected in our impressive publication record, with multiple articles in prestigious journals such as Nat. Commun., (*3), Adv. Mater., (*2), Adv. Energy Mater., Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS catalysis, ACS Nano, marking us as leaders in our field. Through our collaborative efforts, the UNNU lab aims to develop sustainable energy solutions that will power the future.
Weishou Shen
Nitrogen cycle and climate and atmospheric environment changes. Research team is led by Prof. Dr. Weishou Shen, which is composed of three associate professors, Dr. Tianling Li, Dr. Zhaoping Yang, and Dr. Adharsh Rajasekar, and over twenty graduate students. Our research interests include, but are not limited to nitrogen cycling in soil- plant-atmosphere, gaseous reactive nitrogen emission from agricultural systems and their control, ammonia monitoring devices and technologies, and recycling utilization of agricultural waste. Team members have international research experiences in USA, UK, Japan, Australia, and India, and construct close collaboration with colleagues in these countries. Our team has published more than 100 articles in international and demostic journals, such as Environmental Science and Technology, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Biology and Fertility of Soils, Agriculture, Ecosystem & Environment, Science of The Total Environment,etc. Our team is in charge of or participate programs supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China,etc.
Mingdao Zhang
Prof. Mingdao Zhang is leading "High-Performance Battery and Battery Recycling" group at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST). Prof. Zhang received his PhD degree in Chemistry in 2013 at Nanjing University (Jiangsu Province, China), and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University (USA) in 2016-2018. He is the director of Jiangsu Innovation Platform of Lithium Composite-Materials for Battery R&D, the director of Institute of Energy Supply Technology for High-end Equipment (NUIST), and a member of Technical Committee for Standardization of Power and Energy Storage Batteries. Prof. Zhang’s research interests include advanced electrode nanomaterials, battery devices, and the related green recycling technology. He was selected as one of the world top 2% scientists (Stanford List) in 2021-2023, and awarded certificate of Appreciation Highly Cited Author in 2021 for publishing research in the top 1% of highly cited works in Royal Society of Chemistry journals. His research group has developed a series of high-performance batteries, including high energy density batteries, ultra-low temperature batteries, and miniature batteries, which have been applied in many energy supply systems for high-end equipment. In addition, the lattice repair technology of used lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials have also been developed, reaching more than 98% capacity of brand new LFP. The high-performance batteries and the green recycling technology developed by Prof. Zhang and coworkers are being industrialized rapidly, and the products have been certified by national authoritative testing institutions.
Wenqing Shi
Our research team is dedicated to investigating the impacts of climate change and human activities on the biogeochemical cycling of aquatic ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries. We focus on understanding the processes and mechanisms underlying these impacts and their ecological consequences, particularly emphasizing on the variations in carbon and nitrogen cycling and their implications for greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide). We utilize a variety of techniques including field surveys, modeling, and artificial intelligence to ensure that our findings have both regional and global relevance. Based on these findings, we have published 57 papers in authoritative journals such asNational Science Review,Environmental Science & Technology, andWater Research. Through our work, we aim to advance scientific knowledge on how climate change and human activities affect aquatic environments, striving towards sustainable management and conservation practices for freshwater and coastal ecosystems globally.