Basic Introduction:

Zhu Lei, Ph.D. in Atmospheric Chemistry from Harvard University, USA. He joined Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in December 2019 and currently serves as a tenured associate professor (researcher) at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering. His research focuses on satellite remote sensing, mode-simulation, greenhouse gases, data assimilation, and air-sea exchange, with over 100 SCI journal publications cited 4,500+ times and an h-index of 31. He has delivered 20+ oral presentations at international conferences, including the AGU Fall Meeting, Aura Satellite Science Team Meeting, and TEMPO Satellite Science Team Meeting. He has led or participated in multiple national, provincial, and municipal fundamental research projects and contributed to 8 foundational research programs under NASA, NOAA, and NSF in the United States. He is a science team member for several satellite missions, including OMI, OMPS, TEMPO, GEMS, and Gaofen-2. Dr. Zhu has been appointed to China’s Expert Group on Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Ministry of Ecology and Environment)，Shenzhen High-Level Overseas Talent Team and Shenzhen Overseas High-Level Talent Program.

Ground website: https://www.acmrsg.org/

Professional Experience:

1. 2025.06-Associate Professor (tenured), SUSTech

2. 2019.12-2025.05 Assistant Professor, SUSTech

3. 2019.08-2019.12 Research Scholar, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

4. 2017.01-2019.07 Postdoc, Harvard University

Education:

1. 2016.12 PhD in Engineering Science, Harvard University

2. 2011.07 MS in Environmental Science, Peking University

3. 2008.06 BS in Environmental Science, Nankai University

Awards and Honors: 

1. 2023、2024 Best oral presentation of Atmospheric Environmental Remote Sensing Society

2. 2023 Outstanding Young Paper of China Remote Sensing Conference

3. 2020 American Meteorological Society Special Award for OMI

4. 2019 Highlight the reviewer for Atmospheric Pollution Research

5. 2018 William T. Pecora Team Award, NASA and DOI

6. 2017 Outstanding reviewer for Atmospheric Environment

7. 2015 Group Achievement Award, NASA

8. 2013 Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching

9. 2008 Graduate with honors, Nankai University

Research Interests:

1. Atmospheric Chemistry

2. Remote Sensing of Trace Gases

3. Data Assimilation

4. Air Quality

5. Atmosphere-Land-Ocean Interactions

6. Green house gases

Selected funded projects:

Currently active projects:

1. High spatial and hourly monitoring of anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compound emissions in China during the daytime with satellite remote sensing, National Natural Science Foundation of China (42375090), 2024.01-2027.12, PI.

2. Sources, Transformation, and Environmental Effects of Active Carbon Components in the Atmosphere, Sub-project 5: Simulation of Environmental and Radiative Effects of Active Carbon Components in the Atmosphere, National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3706205), 2023.12-2027.11, Co-investigator.

3. Research on Carbon Neutrality Pathways for Synergistic Benefits in Climate, Environment, Health, and Socioeconomic Sectors, Sub-project 1: Development of a Global High-Resolution Accounting System for Greenhouse Gas and Short-Lived Pollutant Emissions, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2023YFE0112900), 2023.12-2027.11, Co-investigator.

4. High Spatiotemporal Resolution Monitoring and Health Early Warning Platform for Urban Atmospheric Environment, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KQTD20210811090048025), 2022.10-2027.09, Co-investigator.

5. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (ZDSYS20220606100604008), 2023.03-2025.03, Co-investigator.

6. Monitoring of Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases and Emission Flux Inversion in Shenzhen, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20220530115404009), 2022.10-2025.10, PI.

7. Improvement Study on Ozone Simulation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on Multi-Source Stereoscopic Data Assimilation, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20210324104604012), 2021.10-2025.10, PI.

8. Research and Application Demonstration of Key Technologies for Controlling Atmospheric Pollutants Emitted by Shipping, Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2020B1111360001), 2021.01-2025.01, Co-investigator.

Completed projects:

1. High-Resolution Monitoring, Forecasting, and Early Warning of Ground-Level Ozone Pollution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on Satellite Remote Sensing, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515110713), 2021.10-2024.09, PI.

2. Innovative Team for Synergistic Management of Air Pollution and Population Health Risks in the Context of Carbon Neutrality, Guangdong University Research Project Science Team (2021KCXTD004), 2021.09-2024.09, Co-investigator.

3. Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province, 2021.07-2024.06, Co-investigator.

4. Study on the Interactions of Atmospheric Physicochemical Processes between Sea and Land and Their Impact on Air Quality in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund (2020B1515130003), 2020.10-2024.09, Co-investigator.

5. High-Resolution Air Quality Monitoring in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on Satellite Remote Sensing, Guangdong University Youth Innovation Talent Project (2020KQNCX066), 2020.09-2022.09, PI.

Teaching (Courses and outstanding students)

1. Computing and Programming for Environmental Research（postgraduate）https://zhu-group.github.io/ese5023

2. Environmental Data Analysis（undergraduate）https://zhu-group.github.io/ese335

3. Growth Literacy（undergraduate）

Published Works:

* Lei Zhu as the corresponding author

1．Zhang, X., Ye, C., Kim, J., Lee, H., Park, J., Jung, Y., Hong, H., Fu, W., Li, X., Chen, Y., Wu, X., Li, Y., Li, J., Zhang, P., Yan, Z., Zhang, J., Liu, S., and Zhu, L.*(2025). Tropospheric NO2 column over Tibet Plateau according to GEMS: Spatial, seasonal, and diurnal variations, Remote Sensing, 17(10), 1690. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17101690.

2．Li, J., Chen, Y., Li, Y., Liu, S., An, M., Yao, B., Western, L. M., Rigby, M., Ganesan, A. L., O’Doherty, S., Sheng, J., Krummel, P. B., Yang, H., Yu, H., Chen, L., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M., and Zhu, L.*(2025). Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in Southern China: High-Frequency Observations and Emission Estimates, Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 12(5), 599-606. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00219.

3．Chen, Y., Yao, B., An, M., Ding, A., Liu, S., Li, X., Li, Y., O’Doherty, S., Krummel, P. B., Yang, H., Yu, H., Chen, L., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., and Zhu, L.*(2025). Emissions of Perfluorinated Greenhouse Gases in Southeastern China Derived From High-Frequency In Situ Observations, Geophysical Research Letters, 52(6), e2024GL111393. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111393.

4．Wang, D., Pu, D., De Smedt, I., Zhu, L.*, Yang, X. , Sun, W., Xia, H., Song, Z., Li, X., Li, J., Zhang, A., Feng, X., Chen, Y., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M., and Wang, J.(2025). Evolution of global O3-NOx-VOCs sensitivity before and after the COVID-19 from the ratio of formaldehyde to NO2 from satellites observations, Journal of Environmental Sciences, 156, 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2024.07.029.

5．Fu, W., Zhu, L.*, Kwon, H.-A., Park, R. J., Lee, G. T., De Smedt, I., Liu, S., Li, X., Chen, Y., Pu, D., Li, J., Zuo, X., Zhang, P., Li, Y., Yan, Z., Zhang, X., Zhang, J., Wu, X., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., Fu, T.-M., and Yang, X.(2025). Evaluating GEMS HCHO retrievals with TROPOMI product, Pandora observations, and GEOS-Chem simulations, Earth and Space Science, 12(1), e2024EA003894. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA003894.

6．Liu, S., Wei, J., Li, X., Shu, L., Zhang, J., Fu, T.-M., Yang, X., Zhu, L.* (2024). Underappreciated roles of soil nitrogen oxide emissions on global acute health burden. Environment International, 193, 109087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.109087.

7．Li, X., Zhu, L.*, De Smedt, I., Sun, W., Chen, Y., Shu, L., Wang, D., Liu, S., Pu, D., Li, J., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Li, Y., Zhang, P., Yan, Z., Fu, T.-M., Shen, H., Wang, C., Ye, J., Yang, X. (2024). Global temperature dependency of biogenic HCHO columns observed from space: Interpretation of TROPOMI results using GEOS-Chem model. Journal of Geophysical Research:Atmospheres, 129, e2024JD041784. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JD041784

8．Li, J., Sheng, J., Zhu, L.*, Yao, B., Wu, J., Pu, D., Shu, L., Liu, S., Li, X., Chen, Y., Zuo, X., Li, Y., Zhang, P., Yan, Z., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2024). Bayesian inversion of HFC-134a emissions in southern China from a new AGAGE site: results from an observing system simulation experiment. Atmospheric Environment, 334, 120715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120715. 

9．Liu, S., Li, X., Wei, J., Shu, L., Fu, T.-M., Yang, X., and Zhu, L.* (2024). Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone: source impacts and attributable mortalities. Environmental Science and Technology, 58 (26), 11256-11267. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c00339.

10．Chen, Y., Yao, B., Wu, J., Yang, H., Ding, A., Liu, S., Li, X., O’Doherty, S., Li, J., Li, Y., Yu, H., Wang, W., Chen, L., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., and Zhu,L.*(2024). Observations and emission constraints of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) in Southern China: First-year results from a new AGAGE station. Environmental Research Letters, 19 (7), 074043. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad5857.

11．Pu, D., Zhu, L.*, Shen, H., De Smedt, I., Ye, J., Li, J., Shu, L., Wang, D., Li, X., Zuo, X., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2024). Integrated satellite observations unravel the relationship between urbanization and anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compound emissions globally. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 7, 125. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00683-5.

12．Liu, S., Valks, P., Curci, G., Chen, Y., Shu, L., Jin, J., Sun, S., Pu, D., Li, X., Li, J., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Li, Y., Zhang, P., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M, and Zhu, L.* (2024). Satellite NO2 retrieval complicated by aerosol composition over global urban agglomerations: seasonal variations and long-term trends (2001-2018). Environmental Science & Technology, 58(18), 7891-7903. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c02111.

13．Liu, S., Shu, L., Zhu, L.*, Song, Y., Sun, W., Chen, Y., Wang, D., Pu, D., Li, X., Sun, S., Li, J., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2024). Underappreciated Emission Spikes From Power Plants During Heatwaves Observed From Space: Case Studies in India and China. Earth's Future, 12(12), e2023EF003937. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003937.

14．Zuo, X., Sun, W., De Smedt, I., Li, X., Liu, S., Pu, D., Sun, S., Li, J., Chen, Y., Fu, W., Zhang, P., Li, Y., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M., Shen, H., Ye, J., Wang, C., and Zhu, L.* (2023). Observing Downwind Structures of Urban HCHO Plumes From Space: Implications to Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound Emissions. Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (24), e2023GL106062. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106062.

15．Chen, Y., Liu, S.*, Zhu, L.*, Seo S., Richter, A., Li, X., Ding, A., Sun, W., Shu, L., Wang, X., Valks, P., Hendrick, F., Koenig, T. K., Volkamer, R., Bai, B., Wang, D., Pu, D., Sun, S., Li, J., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Li, Y., Zhang, P., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2023). Global Observations of Tropospheric Bromine Monoxide (BrO) Columns From TROPOMI. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128 (24), e2023JD039091. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD039091.

16．Liu, S., Li, X., Li, J., Shu, L., Fu, T.-M., Yang, X., and Zhu, L.* (2023). Observing network effect of shipping emissions from space: A natural experiment in the world's busiest port. PNAS Nexus, 2(11), pgad391. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad391.

17．Shu, L., Zhu, L.*, Bak, J., Zoogman, P., Han, H., Liu, S., Li, X., Sun, S., Li, J., Chen, Y., Pu, D., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2023). Improving ozone simulations in Asia via multisource data assimilation: results from an observing system simulation experiment with GEMS geostationary satellite observations. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23 (6), 3731-3748. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3731-2023.

18．Pu, D., Zhu, L.*, De Smedt, I., Li, X., Sun, W., Wang, D., Liu, S., Li, J., Shu, L., Chen, Y., Sun, S., Zuo, X., Fu, W., Xu, P., Yang, X., and Fu, T.-M. (2022). Response of Anthropogenic Volatile Organic Compound Emissions to Urbanization in Asia Probed With TROPOMI and VIIRS Satellite Observations. Geophysical Research Letters, 49(18), e2022GL099470. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099470.

19．Shu, L., Zhu, L.*, Bak, J., Zoogman, P., Han, H., Long, X., Bai, B., Liu, S., Wang, D., Sun, W., Pu, D., Chen, Y., Li, X., Sun, S., Li, J., Yang, X., Fu, T.-M. (2022). Improved ozone simulation in East Asia via assimilating observations from the first geostationary air-quality monitoring satellite: Insights from an Observing System Simulation Experiment. Atmospheric Environment, 274, 119003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119003. 

20．Sun, W., Zhu, L.*, De Smedt, I., Bai, B., Pu, D., Chen, Y., Shu, L., Wang, D., Fu, T.-M., Wang, X., and Yang, Y. (2021). Global Significant Changes in Formaldehyde (HCHO) Columns Observed From Space at the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(4), 2e020GL091265. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091265. 

21．Zhu, L.*, González Abad, G., Nowlan, C. R., Chan Miller, C., Chance, K., Apel, E. C., DiGangi, J. P., Fried, A., Hanisco, T. F., Hornbrook, R. S., Hu, L., Kaiser, J., Keutsch, F. N., Permar, W., St. Clair, J. M., and Wolfe, G. M. (2020). Validation of satellite formaldehyde (HCHO) retrievals using observations from 12 aircraft campaigns. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20(20), 12329-12345. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12329-2020.

22．Zhu, L.*, Jacob, D. J., Eastham, S. D., Sulprizio, M. P., Wang, X., Sherwen, T., Evans, M. J., Chen, Q., Alexander, B., Koenig, T. K., Volkamer, R., Huey, L. G., Le Breton, M., Bannan, T. J., and Percival, C. J. (2019). Effect of sea salt aerosol on tropospheric bromine chemistry. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 19(9), 6497-6507.  https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6497-2019.

23．Zhu, L.*, Mickley, L., J., Jacob, D. J., Marais, E. A., Sheng, J., Hu, L., González Abad, G., and Chance, K.(2017). Long-term (2005–2014) trends in formaldehyde (HCHO) columns across North America as seen by the OMI satellite instrument: Evidence of changing emissions of volatile organic compounds.  Geophysical Research Letters, 44 (13), 7079-7086. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073859.

24．Zhu, L.*, Jacob, D. J., Keutsch, F. N., Mickley, L. J., Scheffe, R., Strum, M., Abad, G. G., Chance, K., Yang, K., Rappengluck, B., Millet, D. B., Baasandorj, M., Jaegle, L., and Shah, V. (2017). Formaldehyde (HCHO) As a Hazardous Air Pollutant: Mapping Surface Air Concentrations from Satellite and Inferring Cancer Risks in the United States. Environmental Science and Technology, 51 (10), 5650-5657. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b01356.

25．Zhu, L.*, Jacob, D. J., Kim, P. S., Fisher, J. A., Yu, K., Travis, K. R., Mickley, L. J., Yantosca, R. M., Sulprizio, M. P., De Smedt, I., González Abad, G., Chance, K., Li, C., Ferrare, R., Fried, A., Hair, J. W., Hanisco, T. F., Richter, D., Jo Scarino, A., Walega, J., Weibring, P., and Wolfe, G. M. (2016). Observing atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO) from space: Validation and intercomparison of six retrievals from four satellites (OMI, GOME2A, GOME2B, OMPS) with SEAC4RS aircraft observations over the southeast US. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16 (21), 13477-13490. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-13477-2016. 

26．Zhu, L.*, Jacob, D. J., Mickley, L. J., Marais, E. A., Cohan, D. S., Yoshida, Y., Duncan, B. N., González Abad, G., and Chance, K. V. (2014). Anthropogenic emissions of highly reactive volatile organic compounds in eastern Texas inferred from oversampling of satellite (OMI) measurements of HCHO columns. Environmental Research Letters, 9 (11), 114004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/11/114004.

27．Zhu, L., Huang, X., Shi, H., Cai, X. H., and Song, Y. (2011). Transport pathways and potential sources of PM10 in Beijing. Atmospheric Environment, 45 (3), 594-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.040.

28．李娟, 朱雷*, 陈雨阳, 李亚莉, 杨红龙, 于海波 &  陈丽曲.(2025). 我国东南部地区HFC-227ea、HFC-245fa以及HFC-365mfc排放估算. 安全与环境工程, 1-9. doi:10.13578/j.cnki.issn.1671-1556.20250209.