Professor of Biometeorology
Current Research Interests
My research seeks to advance the scientific understanding of the biophysical mechanisms that govern exchanges of energy and mass between the Earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere. I integrate micrometeorology, isotope geochemistry, and atmospheric modeling to quantify greenhouse gas fluxes, diagnose their environmental drivers, and reveal the microbial and physical processes that shape land–atmosphere interactions.
Current research interests include:
- Micrometeorological and optical stable isotope techniques for tracing the flow of carbon, nitrogen, and water between the land and atmosphere
- Reactive nitrogen cycling at the biosphere–atmosphere interface, including ammonia and nitrous oxide
- Methane and carbon dioxide budgets of tropical and temperate peatlands
- Biophysical modeling of land–atmosphere trace gas exchange
- Atmospheric transport and fate of herbicides and pesticides in agricultural landscapes
- Boundary‑layer inverse analyses to constrain regional greenhouse gas emissions
Teaching
My teaching centers on helping students build a deep, physics‑based understanding of the atmosphere while developing the analytical tools needed to interpret environmental change. I design courses that blend fundamental theory with hands‑on data analysis, field observations, and conceptual modeling using Matlab modules. Across undergraduate and graduate levels, my goal is to cultivate scientific intuition—giving students the ability to connect physical principles, measurements, and real‑world environmental challenges.
I currently teach and advise in the following areas:
- ESPM3777: Climate Change: Physics, Myths, Mysteries, and Uncertainties
- ESPM2425: The Atmospheric Environment
- ESPM 5402: Biometeorology and Boundary Layer Climates
- LAAS8195: Directed Research in Atmospheric Science - graduate level
Professional Activities and Service
Society Memberships
- American Geophysical Union
- American Meteorological Society
Editorial
- Chief Editor, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (2020-present)
- Editor, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (2008-2020)
- Editorial Board, Atmosphere (2014-2016)
- Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences (2007-2011)
Honors, National Advisory Committees, and Affiliations
- Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, 2025
- The 2012 Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for JGR-Atmospheres, 2013
- National Science Foundation, Career Award, 2006
- CFANS Distinguished Teaching Award, 2006
- National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Fundamental Instrument Unit Technical Working Group, 2009-2012
- Affiliate Member of the Yale-Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) Center on Atmospheric Environment , 2014-present
- Member, American Meteorological Society - Board on Atmospheric Biogeosciences, January 2015 - 2021
- Chair, American Meteorological Society - Board on Atmospheric Biogeosciences, January 2016 - 2020