RESEARCH INTEREST
Terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle, carbon dioxide removal, climate change mitigation, remote sensing, Earth system model, integrated assessment model
EDUCATION
University of Maryland (UMD), College Park, U.S., 2019-
Ph.D.: Geographic Information Science and Cartography
Beijing Normal University (BNU), Beijing, China, 2013-2017
B.S.: Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Science
PUBLICATIONS (Peer-reviewed)
- Gao, X., Liang, S., Wang, D., Li, Y., He, B., Jia, A. Exploration of a novel geoengineering solution: lighting up tropical forests at night. Earth System Dynamics (2022) [Fully coupled community Earth system model, NCAR Cheyenne high-performance computing platform]
- Gao, X., Liang, S., Sauer, J. Greening hiatus in Eurasian boreal forests since 1997 caused by a wetting and cooling summer climate, Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences (2020) [In situ, satellite, and reanalysis datasets]
- Wang, D., Liang, S., Zhang, Y., Gao, X., Brown, M., Jia, A. A New Set of MODIS Land Products (MCD18): Downward Shortwave Radiation and Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Remote Sensing (2020) [Algorithm development, satellite products validation]
- Gao, X., Liang, S., He, B. Detected global agricultural greening from satellite data, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (2019) [Satellite datasets, FAO inventory datasets]
- Gao, X., Dong, W., Tong, Y., Cui, D. Study on the influence of field cognitive style, gender and spatial terminology on geographical spatial orientation ability: based on experiments in virtual space. Journal of Geo-information Science (2016)
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED TALKS
- “Innovative net emission technologies for climate mitigation”, lightning talk, Department of Geographical Science, University of Maryland, 2022
- “Understanding changes in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and water cycles by combining observations and climate model simulations”, invited talk, Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, University of Utah, 2022
- “Exploration of a novel carbon removal solution: lighting up tropical forests at night”, Oral presentation, Mid Atlantic Division of AAG (MAD-AAG) annual meeting, Crownsville, 2022
- “Changes in northern high latitudes carbon cycles”, Oral presentation, Graduate Research Appreciation Day, UMD, 2022
- “Detected global agricultural greening from satellite dat”, Poster, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 2019
HONORS AND AWARDS
U.S.
AAG Council Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper, AAG, 2022
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, UMD, 2022
NCAR Graduate Student Small-Allocation Computing Award, NCAR, 2021
Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship, UMD, 2021
Geographical Science Summer Research Fellowship, UMD, 2020
Graduate School Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Award, UMD, 2019
Graduate School Dean's Fellowship, UMD, 2019
First Place & the Team Leader, Global Business Plan Competition, Intel Corporation, CA, USA, 2016
China
National
Champion, “The best debater at final”, National Geography Debating Competition, 2017
Baogang Outstanding Student Scholarship, 2016
Three times awarded National Scholarship, Ministry of Education of China, 2016, 2015 and 2014
Bronze Medal, National Business Plan Competition, 2016
Provincial
Beijing Outstanding Graduate Award, 2017
First Prize twice, Beijing Summer Social Practice Competition, 2016
Gold Medal, Beijing Business Plan Competition, 2016
University
Four times awarded Academic First Prize Scholarship, 2018, 2016, 2015 and 2014
“Top Ten Undergraduates” (The highest-level honor granted by BNU to its students), 2017
BNU Outstanding Graduate Award, 2017
Zhou Tingru Scholarship, 2017
Outstanding Research Project, 2016
Three times awarded Merit Student Prize, 2016, 2015 and 2014
Undergraduate Research Founding, 2015
TEACHING
Instructor of Record
GEOG 272 – Introduction to Earth Observation Science (3 credits), winter 2023
GEOG 272 – Introduction to Earth Observation Science (3 credits), summer 2022
GEOG 272 – Introduction to Earth Observation Science (3 credits), winter 2022
Teaching Assistant
GEOG 657 – Web Programming, summer 2022
GEOG 670 – Open Source GIS, spring 2022
GEOG 660 – Advanced Remote Sensing Using Lidar, winter 2023, winter 2022, winter 2021
GEOG 652 – Digital Image Processing and Analysis, fall 2022, fall 2021, fall 2020
GEOG 646 – Programming for GIS, spring 2021
SERVICE
President of Geography Graduate Student Organization, UMD, 2022-2023
Vice President of Geography Graduate Student Organization, UMD, 2021-2022
Departmental representative in Graduate Student Government, UMD, 2020-2022
Student representative on Graduate Council, UMD, 2020-2021
Student representative in Graduate Committee, Department of Geographical Sciences, UMD, 2019-2021
President of the badminton club in Faculty of Geographical Science, BNU, 2017-2018
Chair of the Student Academic Counselling Committee, Faculty of Geographical Science, BNU, 2015-2016
Vice President of Student Council, Faculty of Geographical Science, BNU, 2014-2015
