Lab Alumni:

--------- Postdoctoral Associates -------

Xiaoming Sun (2017-2019), currently Staff Scientist at Los Alamos National Lab

Congsheng Fu (2013-2015), currently Professor / Research Scientist at Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology

Miao Yu (2011-2014), currently Professor at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

Roop Saini (2012-2014)

Zhenming Ji (2013-2014), currently Associate Professor at Sun Yat-Sen University

-------- Ph.D. Graduates ---------

Koushan Mohammadi (Ph.D., 2025; Postdoctoral Associate, Tulane University)
Dissertation: Advancing Global Drought Monitoring and Early Warning with Impact-Centric Approaches

Buket Sahin (Ph.D., 2025, Co-advisee; Postdoctoral Associate, Duke University)
Dissertation: AI-Based Electricity Demand Predictions for Electric Grid Resilience and Adaptation in a Changing Climate

Yelin Jiang (Ph.D., 2023; Postdoctoral Associate, Columbia University)
Dissertation: Land-atmosphere Interactions and Drought over Tropical South America

Meijian Yang (Ph.D., 2021; Postdoctoral Associate, Columbia University)
Dissertation: Crop Response to Hydrometeorological Variability and Crop Yield Predictions in Ethiopia

Amir Erfanian (Ph.D., 2018; Climate Scientist, McKinsey & Company)
Dissertation: Land-atmosphere interactions and regional climate in West Africa and South America

Kazi Farzan Ahmed (Ph.D., 2016; Senior Scientist, Verisk)
Dissertation: Climate change impact on agricultural land use in West Africa and its Implication on regional climate projection

Dana Parr (Ph.D., 2015; Instructor, Taft School)
Dissertation: Understanding the hydrological impacts of climate variability and climate change based on numerical modeling and observations

Shanshan Sun (Ph.D., 2012; Assistant Professor, Yunnan University):
Dissertation: Investigating the role of terrestrial feedback and oceanic forcing in climate variability

Rui Mei (Ph.D., 2012; Research Analyst, Intercontinental Exchange.):
Dissertation: Land-atmosphere coupling strength over the U.S. during summer: Comparison
among observations, reanalysis data and numerical  models

Clement Alo (Ph.D., 2009; Associate Professor at Montclair State University):
Dissertation: Impact of land use land cover changes and vegetation dynamics on regional and global climate prediction

Dagang Wang (Ph.D., 2007; Professor at Sun Yet-Sen University):
Dissertation: Impact of sub-grid variability of precipitation and canopy water storage on land and atmospheric hydrological processes

Yeonjoo Kim ( Ph.D., 2006; Professor at Yonsei University):
Dissertation: Soil moisture-vegetation-precipitation feedback at the seasonal time scale over North America

-------- M.S. Graduates --------

Javad Teymoori: M.S., 2025.
Understanding the Flash Drought Impact on Vegetation in the United States Based on Experiments Using CLM

Tengyu Ding: M.S. (Plan B), 2020

Brandon Holland: M.S. (Plan B), 2019

Aaron Rosenberg: M.S. (Plan B), 2014

Zhitong Fei: M.S. (Plan B), 2014

Joseph Albani: M.S., 2014.
Integrated water resource management

Jeehee Kim: M.S., 2013.
Role of lateral boundary conditions in climate prediction using regional climate models: impact of dynamics vs. physics.

Di Wu: M.S., 2013.
Improving the surface-groundwater interactions in the Community Land Model: Case study in the Blue Nile River Basin.

Farzan Ahmed: M.S., 2011.
Thesis: Bias correction and downscaling of climate model outputs required for impact assessments of climate change in the U.S. Northeast

Rui Mei: M.S., 2008.
Thesis:  Precipitation Follows Logging in the Amazon Basin? Interpretation of the CAM3-CLM3 Results

David Hoover: M.S., 2008.
Thesis: Altered Rainfall due to Climate Change: Modeling the ecological effects on grasslands.

Xiaoming Sun: M.S., 2007.
Thesis: Understanding large-scale biogeography and its relationship to climate

Jeff (Zhe) Zheng: M.S., 2006.
Thesis: Modeling the dynamic root water uptake and its impact on surface hydrological processes

-------- Past visiting scholars --------

Weiguang Liu (September 2018 -- September 2019): Visiting PhD students from the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology. Research Topic: Vegetation-climate interactions in Asia

Alexander Zhang (July -- August 2017): Visiting Research Assistant from Princeton High School. Research Topic: Modeling and prediction of regional climate and drought analysis

Ying Shi (March 2016 -- January 2017): Visiting scholar from National Climate Center of China Meteorological Administration. Research Topic: Vegetation dynamics and regional climate in Asia

Dagang Wang (March -- June 2016; June -- August, 2017): Visiting scholar from Sun Yat-Sen University. Research Topic: Incorporating remote sensing data into land surface models to improve hydrological estimates.

Di Liu (September 2011 -- September 2012): Visiting Ph.D. student from Hohai University. Research Topic: Land-atmosphere coupling at the sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales over Asia.

Huanghe Gu (September 2010 -- Septemeber 2011): Visiting Ph.D. student from Hohai University. Research topic: Regional climate prediction and hydrological changes over China.

Bing Gao (November 2009 -- June 2010): Visiting Ph.D. student from Tsinghua University. Research Topic: Hydrological modeling in the Yangtze River Basin