Xin-Zhong Liang Elected Fellow of American Geophysical Union
University of Maryland Professor Xin-Zhong Liang has been elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He joins 55 other individuals in the 2023 Class of Fellows. Since 1962, the AGU Union Fellows Committee has selected less than 0.1% of its members as new Fellows. AGU, a nonprofit organization that supports 130,000 enthusiasts to experts worldwide in Earth and space sciences, annually recognizes a select number of individuals as part of its Honors and Recognition program.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be recognized as an AGU Fellow," said Liang, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center. “This recognition means a lot to me, and I’m grateful to all those who have supported and mentored me throughout my career. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues, mentors, and modeling team members for their unwavering support and encouragement. This honor motivates me to continue my commitment to advancing Earth system science for climate and environment prediction, impact assessment, and decision support.”
Liang was selected for innovative, pioneering leadership in developing regional modeling capabilities for understanding climate change impacts on a variety of sectors. His most recent work has been centered around developing the Dashboard for Agricultural Water Use and Nutrient Management (DAWN), a predictive decision support tool to sustain food and energy crop production in the U.S. Corn Belt. DAWN uses the regional modeling capabilities for agricultural decision support, but the team is expanding its application to the food-energy-water nexus, public health and agricultural economy.
“Liang’s research is directly related to understanding the impact of climate change on human activities. His work is a vital contribution to UMD’s research community,” said Ellen Williams, ESSIC director and Distinguished University Professor of Physics.
“Professor Liang provides quantitative rigor to impact science, through regional Earth system modeling, and his highly regarded model is sought by regional climate impact assessment groups across the nation,” said Sumant Nigam, chair of UMD's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science.
AGU will formally recognize this year’s recipients during its annual meeting in December 2023.
Written by Cazzy Medley
