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Xuesong Zhang

Research Physical Scientist
 /ARSUserFiles/55996/Zhang.JPG Xuesong Zhang, Ph.D.
Research Physical Scientist

USDA-ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory
Bldg. 007, Rm. 104, BARC-West
Beltsville, MD 20705-2350 USA
Voice: (301) 504-6693
Fax: (301) 504-8931
Xuesong.Zhang@usda.gov

 

Research Interests: (click here to see a list of current projects)

  • Develop and apply regional/global scale hydrologic and agroecosystem models and assimilate high-resolution GIS and Remote Sensing data into watershed modeling to assess water and agriculture (including bioenergy) sustainability under diverse natural and human drivers.
  • Converge terrestrial and aquatic biogeochemical cycles to understand and quantify carbon and nutrient sources/sinks at the watershed scale. (https://sites.google.com/view/swat-carbon)
  • Integrate state-of-the-science water cycle and agroecosystem modules into Earth System Modeling frameworks to better depict water and energy exchange between land and the atmosphere.
  • Advance ecosystem characterization and modeling with emerging artificial intelligence and supercomputing techniques.

Education:

  • 2001 B.S. (Environmental Sciences) Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
  • 2004 M.S. (Water Resources and the Environment) Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
  • 2008 Ph.D. (Hydrology & Watershed Management) Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

Professional Experience:

  • 2009 – 2010, Postdoctoral Researcher, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Joint Global Change Research Institute, College Park, MD.
  • 2010 – 2020, Research Scientist, Senior Research Scientist, Staff Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Joint Global Change Research Institute, College Park, MD.
  • 2012 – 2020, Visiting Associate Research Scientist and Visiting Research Scientist, University of Maryland – Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, College Park, MD.
  • 2020 – 2021, Research Scientist, University of Maryland – Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, College Park, MD.
  • 2021 – present, Research Physical Scientist, USDA-ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville, MD.

Funded Research:

  • 2005-2006: "Evaluation of spatial heterogeneity of watershed through HRU concept using SWAT", USGS.
  • 2010-2015: "Developing a Regional Integrated Assessment Model Framework", DOE.
  • 2010-2011: "Geo-spatial Modeling to Evaluate Future Biofuel Production Scenarios", EPA.
  • 2012–2016: "Anticipating Agroecosystem Impacts of and Feedbacks to Climate Change in the Midwest U.S. through Integration of Coupled Climate-Crop Growth Model Simulation with Satellite Data", NASA-Terrestrial Ecology Program.
  • 2007-2012: "Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Phase I – Area 4 Sustainability", DOE-Office of Science.
  • 2013-2020: "Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Phase II – Area 4 Sustainability", DOE-Office of Science.
  • 2013-2018: "Particulate Organic Carbon Dynamics along Terrestrial-Aquatic Interfaces: An Integrated Approach using Watershed Modeling and Remote Sensing Data", NASA-New Investigator (Early Career) Program.
  • 2016-2020: "Climate Impacts & Risks Analysis – EPIC and SWAT modeling of crop yields, irrigation and environmental impacts", EPA Office of Air and Radiation – Climate Change Division.
  • 2016-2021: "A Modeling Framework to Couple Food, Energy, and Water in the Teleconnected Corn and Cotton Belts", NSF/USDA INFEWS.
  • 2017-2021: "Integrating field experiments, remote sensing, and process-based modeling toward improved understanding and quantification of watershed scale carbon cycling", NASA-USDA Carbon Cycle Science Program.
  • 2017-2020: "Influences of Hydrologic Exchange Flows on River Corridor and Watershed Biogeochemical Function", DOE Subsurface Research Science Program.
  • 2018-2020: "Environmental Impact Assessment of Biofuel Production", EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
  • 2020-2022: "An Aquatic Ecosystem Carbon Monitoring System (AECMS) for Quantifying Carbon Fluxes, Sources and Sinks of Inland Waters", NASA Carbon Monitoring System.
  • 2020-2025: "Improving Agricultural Water Use and Nutrient Management to Sustain Food and Energy Crops Production in the Corn Belt", USDA-NIFA-AFRI.
  • 2021-2025: "Evaluation of Impacts of Using Brackish Groundwater as a Nontraditional Irrigation Source on Food, Soil, and Water in the Texas High Plains", USDA-NIFA-AFRI.
  • 2022-ongoing: “Technical Support for the Third Triennial Biofuels Report to Congress (RtC3) and Fourth Triennial Biofuels Report to Congress (RtC4)”, EPA.
  • 2023-2026: “Monitoring changes in the carbon budget of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed caused by agricultural conservation through integrating remote sensing data and modeling”, NASA Carbon Monitoring System.
  • 2023-2025: “Robust explainable AI methods for understanding climate impacts on crop yields”, FY23 SCINet and AI-COE fellowship.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2005-2006: USGS research grant.
  • 2006-2007: Outstanding PhD Student, Texas A&M University.
  • 2007-2008: Harry Wayne Springfield Research Award, Texas A&M University.
  • 2007-2008: TAMU Academic Excellence Award (Richard E. Morris Endowed Memorial), Texas A&M University.
  • 2009: Editor’s choices from 2007, 2008 and 2009, Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
  • 2013: NASA New Investigator (Early CAREER) Award.
  • 2016: Outstanding Young Scientist of the Year 2016, International Soil and Water Assessment Tool Conference.
  • 2018: Bring Excellence to Science & Technology (BEST) Award, Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
  • 2021: ARS Achievement Award
  • 2022: ARS Achievement Award
  • 2021-2022: Environmental Science & Technology Best Paper Award

Publication Databases:

 

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