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 Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
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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:**
ARIS
Google Scholar
LinkedIn
ORCID
****


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