Jiachen Zhang

Dr. Jiachen Zhang is an assistant professor (tenure track) in the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Viterbi School of Engineering and the Spatial Sciences Institute in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She investigates the interactions of air quality, climate and society, quantifying the health and equity impacts of strategies aimed at mitigating climate change and air pollution. The overarching research objective of her lab is to better understand the interactions between climate, air pollution, and society, as well as to pursue engineering methods and policy measures to tackle climate change. Her group aims to advance a systems approach to assess the effectiveness of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as their air quality co-benefits and risks.

During her doctoral and postdoctoral studies, she utilized and enhanced various climate and air quality models to assess the environmental impacts of adopting solar reflective cool surfaces and promoting the adoption of renewable energy.

Prior to returning to USC, Dr. Zhang was the manager of the Mobile Source Technology Assessment and Modeling Section at the California Air Resources Board, where she led a team of scientists and engineers to conduct original research projects, develop emissions inventory, and inform first-of-their-kind policies aimed at promoting electric vehicles and reducing air pollution emissions.

Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California

B.S., Atmospheric Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, China

Li Y, Ravi V, Heath G, Zhang J, Vahmani P, Zhang X, Lee SM, Sanders K, Ban-Weiss G. Air Quality and Public Health Co-benefits of 100% Renewable Electricity Adoption and Electrification Pathways in Los Angeles. Environmental Research Letters. 2024 Feb 16;19(3):034015.

Tang X, Rosseler O, Chen S, de l’Aulnoit SH, Lussier MJ, Zhang J, Ban-Weiss G, Gilbert H, Levinson R, Destaillats H. Self-cleaning and De-pollution Efficacies of Photocatalytic Architectural Membranes. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 2021 Feb;281:119260.

Liao S, Zhang J, Yu F, Zhu M, Liu J, Ou J, Dong H, Sha Q, Zhong Z, Xie Y, Luo H. High Gaseous Nitrous Acid (HONO) Emissions from Light-Duty Diesel Vehicles. Environmental Science & Technology. 2020 Dec 8. 8;55(1):200-8.

Tang X, Ughetta L, Shannon SK, de l’Aulnoit SH, Chen S, Gould RA, Russell ML, Zhang J, Ban-Weiss G, Everman RL, Klink FW. De-pollution Efficacy of Photocatalytic Roofing Granules. Building and Environment. 2019 Aug 1;160:106058.

Zhang J, Li Y, Tao W, Liu J, Levinson R, Mohegh A, Ban-Weiss G. Investigating the Urban Air Quality Effects of Cool Walls and Cool Roofs in Southern California. Environmental science & technology. 2019 May 24;53(13):7532-42.