Basic Introduction:

Prof. Dr. Yi Zheng is a recipient of the Outstanding Young Scholars Award of National Natural Science Foundation of China. His main research areas include ecohydrological modeling, water resources and water quality management, and environmental big data and artificial intelligence. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers, mostly in top-tier journals, such as Nature, Nature Geoscience, Nature Sustainability, Nature Food, Geophysical Research Letters, Environmental Science & Technology, Water Resources Research, Water Research, Remote Sensing of the Environment, Journal of Hydrology, etc. He currently serves as an editor for Water Resources Research.

Professional Experience:

2018-2024 Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

2016-2018 Associate Professor and Associate Dean, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

2007-2015 Associate Professor and Associate Director, Department of Energy and Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China

Education:

2007 Ph.D. in Environmental Science & Management (2007), University of California, Santa Barbara

2002 M.Sc. in Environmental Science (2002), Peking University

2000 B.Sc. in Environmental Science (2000), Peking University

2000 B.A. in Economics (2000), Peking University

Synergistic Activities:

1. Membership of American Water Resources Association (AWRA), since 2003

2. Membership of American Geophysical Union (AGU)，since 2004

3. Membership of the Association of American Geographers (AAG)，since  2010

4. Membership of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)，since  2017

5. Laboratory Director of Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Lab of Environmental IoT Technologies

Editor of Water Resources Research, since 2017

Awards and Honors:

1. Outstanding Young Scholars Award, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2023

2. Outstanding Research Award, China Society of Nature Resources, 2019

3. Distinguished Service Award, Southern University of Science and Technology, 2018

4. Distinguished Teaching Award, Southern University of Science and Technology, 2017

5. Excellent Young Scholars Award, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2016

6. Outstanding Teaching Award, Peking University, 2014

Fangzheng Award for Outstanding Faculty Members, Peking University, 2011

Research Interests:

1. Ecohydrological modeling

2. Water resources and water quality management

3. Environmental big data and AI

Selected funded projects:

1. Changes in the terrestrial water cycle and its eco-environmental impacts (2024-2028), founded by NSFC Outstanding Young Investigator Award project (No. 41622111), as the PI.

2. Biogoechemistry across the land ocean continuum, founded by the Innovative Research Group Project of NSFC (No. 42321004), as the core member.

3. Adaptive utilization and regulation of rivers in the source region of the southwest China (2021-2023) founded by NSFC (No.92047302), as the Co-Investigator.

4. Ecological Pollution Reduction Technology and Demonstration of Sponge City (2020-2023)，founded by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (KCXFZ202002011006491), as the PI.

5. Improving water quality to sustain watershed ecosystems and socio-economic development under climate change: a China-Chile comparative study (2020-2024), founded by NSFC-CONICYT (5191101522), as the PI.

6. An IoT system for mornitoring-simulating-warning-regulating bacterial risk in water (2019-2021), founded by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (KQJSCX20180322152024270), as the PI.

7. Water resources modeling and management (2017-2019), founded by NSFC Excellent Young Investigator Award project (No. 41622111), as the PI.

8. Water, energy and environment nexus of rivers in southwestern China and the system resilience (2017-2020), founded by NSFC (No. 91647201), as the Co-Investigator.

9. Spatial optimization for low impact development design (2017-2018), founded by Shenzhen science and Technology Innovation Committee (SSTIC)research project (No. JCYJ20160530190411804), as the PI

10. Nonpoint source pollution process of PAHs in urbanized areas: mechanism and modeling approach (2014-2017), funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 41371473), as the PI.

11. System Behaviors and regulation of ecohydrological processes in the middle and lower Heihe River Basin (2013-2016), funded by NSFC (No. 91225301), as a Co-PI.

12. Integrated surface water and groundwater modeling for the Heihe Basin and its uncertainty (2012-2013), funded by NSFC (No. 91125021), as the PI.

13. Risk analysis and decision support for the development of circular economy at a regional scale (2012-2015), funded by China’s National Science & Technology Pillar Program (No. 2012BAC03B02), as a Co-PI

14. Study on the uncertainty in distributed simulation of watershed nonpoint source pollution (2010-2012), funded by NSFC (No. 50909001), as the PI.

15. Systematic assessment and decision-support approaches for the development of circular economy in China, funded by the National Science & Technology Pillar Program administrated by MOST (2009BAC64B02), as a Co-PI.

16. Barriers assessment and integrated policy development of critical energy-saving technologies promotion (2009-2010), funded by The China Sustainable Energy Program of The Energy Foundation (No. G-0911-11672), as the PI.

Courses

1. Hydrology: Principles and Applications （undergraduate）

2. Frontier in Environmental Science and Engineering（graduate）

3. Research Methodology of Environmental Science and Engineering（graduate）

Published Works:

1. Li, B., Zheng, Y., Di Baldassarre, G.,Xu, P., Pande, S., & Sivapalan, M.(2023). Groundwater vulnerability in amegacity under climate and economicchanges: A coupled sociohydrologicalanalysis. Water Resources Research,59, e2022WR033943.

2. Wang, C. , Jiang, S. , Zheng, Y. , Han, F. , Kumar, R. , & Rakovec, O. ,Li S.. (2024). Distributed hydrological modeling with physics‐encoded deep learning: a general framework and its application in the amazon. Water Resources Research, 60(4).

3. Xu, P., Li, G., Zheng, Y., Fung J.C.H., Chen A., Zeng Z., Shen H., Hu M., Mao J., Zheng Y., Cui X., Guo Z., Chen Y., Feng L., He S., Zhang X., Lao A.K.H., Houlton B.Z. . (2024). Fertilizer management for global ammonia emission reduction. Nature 626, 792–798.

4. Han, F., Hu, Z., Chen, N., Wang, Y., Jiang, J., & Zheng, Y. (2023). Assimilating low-cost high-frequency sensor data in watershed water quality modeling: A Bayesian approach. Water Resources Research, 59, e2022WR033673.

5. Shen C, Appling A P, Gentine P, Bandai T, Gupta H, Tartakovsky A, Baity-Jesi M, Fenicia F, Kifer D, Li L, Liu X, Ren W, Zheng Y, Harman C J, Clark M, Farthing M, Feng D, Kumar P, Aboelyazeed D, Rahmani F, Song Y, Beck H E, Bindas T, Dwivedi D, Fang K, Höge M, Rackauckas C, Mohanty B, Roy T, Xu C, Lawson K (2023). Differentiable modelling to unify machine learning and physical models for geosciences, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 4, 552-567

6. Li S, Zheng Y*, Han F, Xu P, Chen A (2023). Ecological Flow Management Identified as Leading Driver of Grassland Greening in the Gobi Desert Using Deep Learning, Geophysical Research Letters, 50, e2023GL103369

7. Han F, Hu Z, Chen N, Wang Y, Jiang J, Zheng Y* (2023). Assimilating Low-Cost High-Frequency Sensor Data in Watershed Water Quality Modeling: A Bayesian Approach, Water Resources Research, 59, e2022WR033673

8. Xiong R, Zheng Y*, Chen N, Tian Q, Liu W, Han F, Jiang S, Lu M, Zheng Y (2022). Predicting Dynamic Riverine Nitrogen Export in Unmonitored Watersheds: Leveraging Insights of AI from Data-Rich Regions, Environmental Science & Technology, 56, 10530-10542.

9.  Xu P, Houlton B Z, Zheng Y*, Zhou F, Ma L, Li B, Liu X, Li G, Lu H, Quan F, Hu S, Chen A (2022). Policy-enabled stabilization of nitrous oxide emissions from livestock production in China over 1978–2017, Nature Food, 3, 356-366.

10. Xu P, Li G, Houlton B Z, Ma L, Ai D, Zhu L, Luan B, Zhai S, Hu S, Chen A, Zheng Y* (2022). Role of Organic and Conservation Agriculture in Ammonia Emissions and Crop Productivity in China, Environmental Science & Technology, 56(5), 2977-2989.

11. Jiang S, Zheng Y*, Wang C, Babovic V* (2022). Uncovering Flooding Mechanisms Across the Contiguous United States Through Interpretive Deep Learning on Representative Catchments, Water Resources Research, 58, e2021WR030185.

12. Hou X, Feng L, Dai Y, Hu C, Gibson L, Tang J, Lee Z, Wang Y, Cai X, Liu J, Zheng Y, Zheng C (2022). Global mapping reveals increase in lacustrine algal blooms over the past decade, Nature Geoscience, 15, 130-134.

13. Feng Y, Zeng Z, Searchinger T D, Ziegler A D, Wu J, Wang D, He X, Elsen P R, Ciais P, Xu R, Guo Z, Peng L, Tao Y, Spracklen D V, Holden J, Liu X, Zheng Y, Xu P, Chen J, Jiang X, Song X-P, Lakshmi V, Wood E F, Zheng C (2022). Doubling of annual forest carbon loss over the tropics during the early twenty-first century, Nature Sustainability, 5, 444-451.

14. Xiong R, Zheng Y*, Han F, Tian Y (2021). Improving the Scientific Understanding of the Paradox of Irrigation Efficiency: An Integrated Modeling Approach to Assessing Basin‐Scale Irrigation Efficiency, Water Resources Research, 57, e2020WR029397.

15. Niu G, Yang P, Zheng Y*, Cai X*, Qin H (2021). Automatic Quality Control of Crowdsourced Rainfall Data With Multiple Noises: A Machine Learning Approach, Water Resources Research, 57, e2020WR029121.

16. Gao C, He H, Qiu W*, Zheng Y*, Chen Y, Hu S, Zhao X (2021). Oxidative Stress, Endocrine Disturbance, and Immune Interference in Humans Showed Relationships to Serum Bisphenol Concentrations in a Dense Industrial Area, Environment Science & Technology, 55, 1953-1963.

17. Zhao X, Zheng Y*, Hu S, Qiu W, Jiang J, Gao C, Xiong J, Lu H, Quan F (2021). Improving urban drainage systems to mitigate PPCPs pollution in surface water, A watershed perspective, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 411, 125047.

18. Zheng Y, Tian Y *, Du E, Han F, Wu Y, Zheng C, Li X (2020). Addressing the water conflict between agriculture and ecosystems under environmental flow regulation, An integrated modeling study, Environmental Modelling & Software, 134, 104874.

19. Jiang S, Zheng Y*, Solomatine D (2020). Improving AI system awareness of geoscience knowledge, symbiotic integration of physical approaches and deep learning, Geophysical Research Letters, 47(13), e2020GL088229.

20. Xu P, Chen A, Houlton B Z, Zeng Z, Wei S, Zhao C, Lu H, Liao Y, Zheng Z, Luan S, Zheng Y* (2020). Spatial variation of reactive nitrogen emissions from China's croplands codetermined by regional urbanization and its feedback to global climate change, Geophysical Research Letters, 47(12), e2019GL086551.

21. Jiang S, Babovic V, Zheng Y*, Xiong J (2019). Advancing opportunistic sensing in hydrology: a novel approach to measuring rainfall with ordinary surveillance cameras, Water Resources Research, 55(4): 3004-3027.

22.  Sun Z, Zheng Y*, Li X, Tian Y, Han F, Zhong Y, Liu J, Zheng C (2018). The Nexus of Water, Ecosystems, and Agriculture in Endorheic River Basins: A System Analysis Based on Integrated Ecohydrological Modeling, Water Resources Research, 54(10): 7534-7556.

23. Tian Y, Zheng Y*, Han F, Zheng C, Li X (2018). A comprehensive graphical modeling platform designed for integrated hydrological simulation, Environmental Modelling & Software, 108: 154–173.

24. Han F, Zheng Y* (2018). Joint analysis of input and parametric uncertainties in watershed water quality modeling: A formal Bayesian approach, Advances in Water Resources, 116: 77-94.

25. Zheng Y*, Luo X, Zhang W, Wu X, Zhang J, Han F (2016). Transport mechanisms of soil-bound mercury in the erosion process during rainfall-runoff events, Environmental Pollution, 215: 10-17.

26.  Tian Y, Zheng Y*, Zheng C, Xiao H, Fan W, Zou S, Wu B, Yao Y, Zhang A, Liu J (2015). Exploring scale dependent ecohydrological responses in a large endorheic river basin through integrated surface water groundwater modeling, Water Resources Research, 51: 4065-4085.

27. Wu B, Zheng Y*, Wu X, Tian Y, Han F, Liu J, Zheng C (2015). Optimizing water resources management in large river basins with integrated surface water-groundwater modeling: a surrogate-based approach, Water Resources Research, 51: 2153-2173.

28. Tian Y, Zheng Y*, Wu B, Wu X, Liu J, Zheng C (2015). Modeling surface water-groundwater interaction in arid and semi-arid regions with intensive agriculture, Environmental Modelling & Software, 63: 170-184.

29. Wu B, Zheng Y*, Tian Y, Wu X, Yao Y, Han F, Liu J, Zheng C (2014). Systematic assessment of the uncertainty in integrated surface water-groundwater modeling based on the probabilistic collocation method, Water Resources Research, 50: 5848-5865.

Zheng Y*, Luo X, Zhang W, Wu B, Han F, Lin Z, Wang X (2012). Enrichment behavior and transport mechanism of soil-bound PAHs during rainfall-runoff events, Environmental Pollution, 171: 85-92.