{"id":726,"date":"2024-10-18T17:57:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T17:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/?page_id=726"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:05:10","slug":"jiafu-mao","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/faculty\/other-faculty\/jiafu-mao\/","title":{"rendered":"Jiafu Mao"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORNL Joint Faculty Professor<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\"Jiafu<\/div>\n
\n

Contact Information<\/h3>\n
\n

Phone<\/b>
\n865-241-7815<\/p>\n

Email<\/b>
\njmao@utk.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Links<\/b>
\nGoogle Scholar<\/a>
\nORCID<\/a>
\nPersonal Website<\/a><\/p>\n

Research Areas<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Earth system and land-surface modeling<\/li>\n
  • Ecosystem dynamics, vulnerability, and resilience<\/li>\n
  • Terrestrial hydrology and soil-moisture dynamics<\/li>\n
  • Carbon cycling and vegetation productivity<\/li>\n
  • Wildfire prediction, impacts, and risk assessment<\/li>\n
  • Remote sensing and model\u2013data integration<\/li>\n
  • Machine learning and artificial intelligence for environmental systems<\/li>\n
  • Urbanization and urban ecosystem processes<\/li>\n
  • Detection and attribution of natural and human drivers<\/li>\n
  • Carbon dioxide removal and enhanced rock weathering<\/li>\n
  • Integrated ecosystem-and-engineering decision frameworks for carbon dioxide removal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    <\/p>\n

    Biography<\/h2>\n
    \n

    Jiafu Mao is a Distinguished Scientist in the Earth Systems Modeling Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a Joint Faculty Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Institute for a Secure & Sustainable Environment at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.<\/p>\n

    His research advances the understanding and prediction of vegetation, hydrology, carbon cycling, wildfire, and coupled natural\u2013infrastructure systems. He integrates field measurements, satellite observations, process-based land and Earth system models, and advanced statistical, machine-learning, and artificial-intelligence methods.<\/p>\n

    His current work examines ecosystem variability and extremes, urbanization effects, soil-moisture and carbon interactions, wildfire\u2013power-grid feedbacks, and strategies for reducing risks to critical infrastructure. He also develops integrated ecosystem-and-engineering approaches for carbon dioxide removal, including enhanced rock weathering and supply-chain optimization.<\/p>\n

    Mao has led or co-led research supported by DOE, NASA, NSF, UTK, and ORNL and has mentored more than 30 students and early-career researchers across disciplines and institutions.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Education<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Professional Service<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Associate Editor, Water Resources Research, 2024\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Topic Editor, Earth System Science Data, 2023\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Associate Editor, CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 2021\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Subject Editor, Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2016\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Lead, DOE RUBISCO Soil Moisture Working Group, 2023\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Member, North American Carbon Program Science Leadership Group, 2021\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Member, CMIP Data Request Land and Land Ice Author Team, 2024\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • Member, CMIP Impacts and Adaptation Author Theme, 2024\u2013Present<\/li>\n
      • President, Ecological Society of America Asian Ecology Section, 2023\u20132025<\/li>\n
      • President and Vice President, Sino-Ecologists Association Overseas, 2018\u20132024<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        <\/p>\n

        Awards & Recognitions<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher Award, 2025<\/li>\n
        • Best Editor Award, Ecosystem Health and Sustainability<\/i>, 2025<\/li>\n
        • Service Excellence Award, Sino-Ecologists Association Overseas, 2024<\/li>\n
        • Stanley I. Auerbach Award for Research Excellence, ORNL Environmental Sciences Division, 2020<\/li>\n
        • Supplementary Performance Award, ORNL, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2026<\/li>\n
        • Visiting Scholar, National Center for Meteorological Research, M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France, 2016<\/li>\n
        • Significant Event Award for contributions to the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment\u2013Tropics, ORNL, 2015<\/li>\n
        • Significant Event Award for contributions to IPCC and National Assessment activities, ORNL, 2014<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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