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 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, says Liang. “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, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) and the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science (AOSC), 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 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,” says Ellen Williams, ESSIC’s Director, “His work is a vital contribution to UMD’s research community.”
“Prof. 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 AOSC Chair Sumant Nigam.
AGU will formally recognize this year’s recipients during AGU23 Fall Meeting, 11-15 December 20232 in San Francisco, CA and online everywhere.
