About me

I am a computational modeler currently completing my PhD at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My PhD focuses on computational modeling of earth systems and water sustainability issues under climate change. Before that, I received my B.S. in Hydraulic engineering and a second Bachelor of Economics from Tsinghua University, China. I am passionate about applying machine learning, combined with insights of physical modeling, to solve real world issues. I’m looking for full-time positions in both industry and academia starting from Spring/Summer 2024.

Education

Aug 2018 - Apr 2024
Ph.D. in Earth System Science
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

B.S. in Hydraulic Engineering
Department of Hydraulic Engineering
Tsinghua University

B.S. in Economics
School of Economics and Management
Tsinghua University

Research Interest

Computational modeling of complex systems

I use combined physical (process-based) and statistical (machine learning) models to simulate complex systems, with a focus currently on earth and climate science. Especially, how complex physical models can be simplified for increased efficiency in estimation and prediction, how to quantify and improve the robustness and trustworthiness of inferred process understanding from model-data fusion given the scarcity and uncertainty of observation data (a ubiquitous issue in earth and climate science), and how process-based and machine learning-based models can be combined to reliably and efficiently simulate complex systems constrained by observation data of varying uncertainties.

Water sustainability under climate change

The sustainability of water resources is a major concern under climate change. My PhD specifically focuses on how plants respond to drought and the sustainability issues of water resources in agricultural ecosystems.

Teaching Experience

NRES405 Watershed Hydrology (Spring 2019)
Teaching Assistant
@University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Coastal Engineering (Spring 2017 & Spring 2018)
Teaching Assistant
@Tsinghua University

Journal Reviewer

Water Resources Research, Global Change Biology, Plant, Cell & Environment, Journal of Hydrology, Agricultural Water Management, Atmospheric Research, Agronomy Journal, Applied Water Science