Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography | China
Author Profiles
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Early Academic Pursuits
Professor Zhenlei Yang began his academic journey in Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with a focus on groundwater science and engineering. His academic curiosity deepened during his doctoral studies at Texas A&M University, USA, where he specialized in Biological and Agricultural Engineering with a focus on soil hydrology and ecohydrology. These formative years laid the foundation for his expertise in soil physics, subsurface hydrology, and multiphase flow in porous media, establishing the trajectory for a career in advancing hydrological sciences.
Professional Endeavors
Professor Yang has held distinguished academic and research positions across China, the USA, and Germany. He currently serves as a Professor at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, following prior roles as Associate Professor at the same institute and Research Associate Professor at Westlake University, China. His international research exposure includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany, where he worked on integrated hydrological modeling of German watersheds using advanced terrestrial system models. Earlier, as a Graduate Research Assistant at Texas A&M University, he contributed to parameterization development and probabilistic modeling of coupled soil-water-plant systems. His academic appointments and global collaborations reflect both breadth and depth in environmental and hydrological research.
Contributions and Research Focus
Professor Yang’s research primarily focuses on parameterizations of soil processes, subsurface hydrology, and ecohydrology, with significant contributions to the understanding of heat and mass transport in vadose zones, soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions, and groundwater management. He has led major projects funded by the National Science Foundation of Xinjiang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and international collaborations with the USA and Germany, addressing critical topics such as soil hydraulic parameter modeling, evaporation and infiltration mechanisms, and groundwater level control in arid basins. His technical expertise extends to hydrological modeling platforms such as HYDRUS and TerrSysMP, data assimilation, and high-performance computing for environmental simulations.
Impact and Influence
Through his research, Professor Yang has advanced the scientific community’s ability to predict hydrological processes across scales—from soil pores to watersheds—thereby influencing both theoretical and applied domains of ecohydrology. His work has been showcased at prestigious platforms including the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and European Geosciences Union (EGU), reflecting his active engagement in international scientific exchange. Furthermore, his integration of hydrological and ecological perspectives contributes to sustainable water resource management in arid and semi-arid regions, making his contributions globally relevant.
Academic Citations and Recognition
Professor Yang’s scholarly output has earned recognition in the form of graduate fellowships, research grants, and international student achievement awards during his time at Texas A&M University. His presentations at leading global conferences have established him as a respected voice in soil hydrology research. Awards such as the Dissertation Fellowship Award (2015–2016) and the Bill A. and Rita L. Stout International Graduate Student Achievement Award (2014) highlight his consistent excellence in research and academic performance.
Legacy and Future Contributions
Looking forward, Professor Yang’s work holds significant promise for climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, and water resource resilience in ecologically sensitive regions. His continued leadership in hydrological modeling and soil-water-vegetation interaction studies will shape the development of more accurate predictive models, ultimately benefiting environmental policy, land management, and global sustainability efforts. By mentoring young scholars and advancing interdisciplinary research, he is poised to leave a lasting legacy in the fields of soil physics, ecohydrology, and water resources engineering.
Conclusion
In summary, Professor Zhenlei Yang’s career represents a blend of rigorous academic training, impactful research, and international collaboration. His contributions to soil hydrology, porous media parameterization, and ecohydrological modeling have advanced both theory and practice in environmental sciences. With a proven record of academic excellence, innovative research, and future-oriented vision, Professor Yang continues to play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges of water resource management and ecological sustainability in a changing global climate.
Notable Publications
"Prediction of absolute unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils with Weibull pore size distribution"
- Author: Xin Tong; Zhenlei Yang; Weili Duan; Zi Li; Xuan Yu; Wenjuan Zheng
- Journal: Geoderma
- Year: 2025
"Lattice Boltzmann modelling of capillarity, adsorption and fluid retention in simple geometries: Do capillary and film water have equal matric suction or not?"
- Author: Zi Li; Zhenlei Yang; Sergio Galindo-Torres; Ling Li
- Journal: Advances in Water Resources
- Year: 2025
"Self-organized criticality of natural lakes revealed by the percolation model based on topographic wetness index"
- Author: Shengjie Hu; Zhenlei Yang; Zipeng Wang; Sergio Andres Galindo Torres; Ling Li
- Journal: Communications Physics
- Year: 2025
"Statistical Distribution of Urban Area Reveals a Converging Trend of Global Urban Land Expansion"
- Author: Shengjie Hu; Zhenlei Yang; Sergio Andres Galindo Torres; Zipeng Wang; Haoying Han; Yoshihide Wada; Thomas Cherico Wanger; Ling Li
- Journal: Earth's Future
- Year: 2025