Introduction

I am currently Boya Distinguished professor of biogeochemistry in College of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University (PKU). My career goals are to improve our understanding of the interaction between climate change and agriculture using flux observations, manipulative experiments, and land surface models. For that, I have been funded with multiple grants, including 8 grants from Natural Science Foundation of China and 4 grants from National Major Research and Development Program. I have published >120 peer-reviewed articles in the journals including Nature, PNAS, Nature Geoscience, Nature Food, and Nature Communications.

Currently I am serving in various international academic communities, including Global Carbon Project Committees for the Global N2O Budget and the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes-2 (RECCAP2), Scientific Steering Committee for the International Nitrogen Initiative East Asia Centre, and as Associate Editor for four journals (Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Biogeochemistry, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Geoscience Data Journal). I have also been honored with multiple national awards in my career, including National Distinguished Young Scholar, Young Cheung Kong Scholar, Outstanding Young Scientist, and the 1st Prize of S&T Achievement from the Ministry of Education.

Education

2004/09-2009/07 Ph.D., Peking University

2000/09-2004/07 B.A., Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

2006/09-2007/08 Visiting student, University of Regina, Canada

Professional Experience

2023/02-present Boya Distinguished Professor, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University

2013/08-2023/01 Associate Professor, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University

2011/07-2013/07 Assistant Professor, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University

2009/07-2011/06 Postdoctoral Research Associate, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University

2018/08-2018/09 Visiting Scientist, Laboratory for Sciences of Climate and Environment, The Institute Pierre Simon Laplace, France

2014/01-2015/01 Visiting Scientist, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, USA

2012/04-2012/05 Visiting Scientist, Institute for Geometry and Practical Mathematics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Research Projects

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (42361144876): Food-Water-Ecosystem Nexus and pathways for SDGs implementation in rice planting areas across Asian tropical and warm temperate zones, 2024-2026, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 1,980,000), CoPI: Xuhui Wang (PKU), Yue Qin (PKU), Qing Zhu (CAS), Hao Liang (HHU), Jin Fu (HHU)

2. National Natural Science Foundation of China (42225102): Nitrogen biogeochemistry, 2023-2027, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 4,000,000)

3. National Major Research and Development Program funded by the MOST (2021YFD700801): Biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and phosphorous in agroecosystems and associated biological mechanisms, 2022-2025, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 10,000,000), CoPI: Ju Min (CAS), Ning Wang (JAAS) and Yufang Lu (CAS)

4. National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A2025): Lag effect of agricultural non-point source pollution load into the middle reach of the Changjiang River, 2022-2025, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 1,000,000)

5. National Natural Science Foundation of China (41977082): Impacts of extreme precipitation events on yield-scale emissions of China’s rice paddy fields, 2020-2023, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 710,000)

6. National Major Research and Development Program funded by the MOST (2018YFC0213304): Bottom-up and top-down estimates of agricultural ammonia emissions and mitigation potentials, 2018-2021, PI: Baojing Gu (ZJU), CoPI: Feng Zhou (¥ 1,080,000)

7. Natural Science Foundation of China (41671464): Spatial-temporal patterns and their drivers of global N2O emissions from agricultural soils over the last 25 years, 2017-2020, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 812,000)

8. National Major Research and Development Program funded by the MOST (2016YFD0800501): Nitrogen and phosphorous losses from rice field and their ecological consequences, 2016-2020, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 3,270,000), CoPI: Limei Zhai (CAAS) and Yanhua (CAS)

9. Natural Science Foundation of China (41561134016): The giant rivers of China, trends in water resources due to climate change and human pressure, 2016-2018, PI: Shilong Piao (PKU), CoPI: Feng Zhou (¥ 500,000)

10. Natural Science Foundation of China (41530528): Impacts of climate extremes on China’s terrestrial carbon balance, PI: Shilong Piao (PKU), CoPI: Feng Zhou, 2016-2020 (¥ 500,000)

11. National Water Science and Technology Research Program funded by MOST (2013ZX07102-006-04): Water resource allocation for mitigating lake eutrophication, 2013-2017, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 3,050,000), CoPI: Huaicheng Guo (PKU) and Yong Liu (PKU)

12. National Water Science and Technology Research Program funded by the MOST (2012ZX07503-002): Methodology development of national water resource assessment, 2013-2016, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 900,000), CoPI: Huaicheng Guo and Yong Liu (PKU)

13. Natural Science Foundation of China (41201077): Impacts of atmospheric deposition on eutrophic lake ecosystem, 2013-2015, PI: Feng Zhou (¥ 260,000)

Awards and Honors

2022 National Distinguished Young Scholar, Recognition from the National Natural Science Foundation of China

2020 Outstanding Young Scientist, Honor from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China

2019 Young Cheung Kong Scholar, Faculty early career award in recognition of China's domestic top scholars by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of China

2018 Sino-French Outstanding Young Scientist, Honor from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China

2017 Outstanding Young Scientist, Honor from the Geographical Society of China

2017 Ng Teng Fong-Sino Outstanding Teacher Award, Teaching honor based on student course evaluation from PKU

2016 First-prize winner of Science and Technology Achievement, Recognition from the Governor of Yunnan Province

2014 Outstanding Young Scientist, Honor from the Chinese Society of Environmental Science

2012 BIARI Fellowship, Fellowship from the Brown University for early-career scholars worldwide to address pressing global issues

2011 Nominating Award of National Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation, Honor from the MOE of China

2011 First-prize winner of Science and Technology Achievement, Recognition from the MOE of China

Selected Publications

1. Zheng, L.; Adalibieke, W.; Zhou, F.; He, P.; Chen, Y.; Guo, P.; He, J.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, P.; Wang, C.; Ye, J.; Zhu, L.; Shen, G.; Fu, T.-M.; Yang, X.; Zhao, S.; Hakami, A.; Russell, A. G.; Tao, S.; Meng, J.; Shen, H., Health burden from food systems is highly unequal across income groups. Nature Food 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-00946-7

2. Gu, W.; Wang, F.; Siebert, S.; Kummu, M.; Wang, X.; Hong, C.; Zhou, F.; Zhu, Q.; Liu, Y.; Qin, Y., The asymmetric impacts of international agricultural trade on water use scarcity, inequality and inequity. Nature Water 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00224-7

3. Liu, B.; Guo, C.; Xu, J.; Zhao, Q.; Chadwick, D.; Gao, X.; Zhou, F.; Lakshmanan, P.; Wang, X.; Guan, X.; Zhao, H.; Fang, L.; Li, S.; Bai, Z.; Ma, L.; Chen, X.; Cui, Z.; Shi, X.; Zhang, F.; Chen, X.; Li, Z., Co-benefits for net carbon emissions and rice yields through improved management of organic nitrogen and water. Nature Food 2024. 5(3): 241-250. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-00940-z. See Research Briefing at https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-00947-6

4. Cui, X.; Bo, Y.; Adalibieke, W.; Winiwarter, W.; Zhang, X.; Davidson, E. A.; Sun, Z.; Tian, H.; Smith, P.; Zhou, F., The global potential for mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from croplands. One Earth 2024, 7, (3), 401-420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.01.005

5. Hu, H., Chen, J., Zhou, F. et al. Relative increases in CH4 and CO2 emissions from wetlands under global warming dependent on soil carbon substrates. Nature Geoscience, 2024. 17: 26-31. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01345-6

6. Qian, H.; Zhu, X.; Huang, S.; Linquist, B.; Kuzyakov, Y.; Wassmann, R.; Minamikawa, K.; Martinez-Eixarch, M.; Yan, X.; Zhou, F.; Sander, B. O.; Zhang, W.; Shang, Z.; Zou, J.; Zheng, X.; Li, G.; Liu, Z.; Wang, S.; Ding, Y.; van Groenigen, K. J.; Jiang, Y., Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation in rice agriculture. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 2023, 4(10): 716-732. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-023-00482-1

7. Fu, J.; Jian, Y.W.; Wang, X.H.; Li, L.; Ciais, P.; Zscheischler, J.; Wang, Y.; Tang, Y.; Müller, C.; Webber, H.; Yang, B.; Wu, Y.; Wang, Q.; Cui, X.; Huang, W.; Liu, Y.; Zhao, P.; Piao, S.; Zhou, F., Extreme rainfall reduces one-twelfth of China’s rice yield over the last two decades. Nature Food, 2023, 4: 416-426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00753-6. See News & Views at https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00757-2

8. Cui, X. ; Zhou, F.; Ciais, P.; Davidson, E. A.; Tubiello, F. N.; Niu, X.; Ju, X.; Canadell, J. G.; Bouwman, A. F.; Jackson, R. B.; Mueller, N. D.; Zheng, X.; Kanter, D.; Tian, H.; Adalibieke, W.; Bo, Y. ; Wang, Q. ; Zhan, X. ; Zhu, D., Global mapping of crop-specific emission factors highlights hotspots of nitrous oxide mitigation. Nature Food. 2021, 2: 886-893. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00384-9. See Collection "Food-Climate Nexus" at https://www.nature.com/collections/iehgagdghf

9. Zhou, F.; Bo, Y. ; Ciais, P.; Dumas, P.; Tang, Q.; Wang, X.; Liu, J.; Zheng, C.; Polcher, J.; Yin, Z.; Guimberteau, M.; Peng, S.; Ottle, C.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, J.; Tan, Q.; Chen, L.; Shen, H.; Yang, H.; Piao, S.; Wang, H.; Wada, Y., Deceleration of China’s human water use and its key drivers. PNAS. 2020, 117: 7702-7711. https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1909902117

10. Wang, Z.; Yin, Y.; Wang, Y.; Tian, X.; Ying, H.; Zhang, Q.; Xue, Y.; Oenema, O.; Li, S.; Zhou, F.; Du, M.; Ma, L.; Batchelor, W. D.; Zhang, F.; Cui, Z., Integrating crop redistribution and improved management towards meeting China’s food demand with lower environmental costs. Nature Food 2022, 3, (12), 1031-1039. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00646-0. See News & Views at https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00663-z

11. Liu, Y.; Wang, H.; Jiang, Z.; Wang, W.; Xu, R.; Wang, Q. ; Zhang, Z.; Li, A.; Liang, Y.; Ou, S.; Liu, X.; Cao, S.; Tong, H.; Wang, Y.; Zhou, F.; Liao, H.; Hu, B.; Chu, C., Genomic basis of rice geographic adaptation to soil nitrogen. Nature. 2021, 590: 600-605. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03091-w. See Research Highlight at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-021-00796-0

12. Tian, H.; Xu, R.; Canadell, J. G.; Thompson, R. L.; Winiwarter, W.; Suntharalingam, P.; Davidson, E. A.; Ciais, P.; Jackson, R. B.; Janssens-Maenhout, G.; Prather, M. J.; Regnier, P.; Pan, N.; Pan, S.; Peters, G. P.; Shi, H.; Tubiello, F. N.; Zaehle, S.; Zhou, F.; Arneth, A.; Battaglia, G.; Berthet, S.; Bopp, L.; Bouwman, A. F.; Buitenhuis, E. T.; Chang, J.; Chipperfield, M. P.; Dangal, S. R. S.; Dlugokencky, E.; Elkins, J. W.; Eyre, B. D.; Fu, B.; Hall, B.; Ito, A.; Joos, F.; Krummel, P. B.; Landolfi, A.; Laruelle, G. G.; Lauerwald, R.; Li, W.; Lienert, S.; Maavara, T.; MacLeod, M.; Millet, D. B.; Olin, S.; Patra, P. K.; Prinn, R. G.; Raymond, P. A.; Ruiz, D. J.; van der Werf, G. R.; Vuichard, N.; Wang, J.; Weiss, R. F.; Wells, K. C.; Wilson, C.; Yang, J.; Yao, Y., A comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks. Nature. 2020, 586: 248-256. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2780-0

13. Li, B. G.; Gasser, T.; Ciais, P.; Piao, S. L.; Tao, S.; Balkanski, Y.; Hauglustaine, D.; Boisier, J. P.; Chen, Z.; Huang, M. T.; Li, L. Z.; Li, Y.; Liu, H. Y.; Liu, J. F.; Peng, S. S.; Shen, Z. H.; Sun, Z. Z.; Wang, R.; Wang, T.; Yin, G. D.; Yin, Y.; Zeng, H.; Zeng, Z. Z.; Zhou, F., The contribution of China's emissions to global climate forcing. Nature. 2016, 531(7594): 357-361. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature17165. See News & Views at https://www.nature.com/articles/531310a

14. Wang, X.; Müller, C.; Elliot, J.; Mueller, N. D.; Ciais, P.; Jägermeyr, J.; Gerber, J.; Dumas, P.; Wang, C.; Yang, H.; Li, L.; Deryng, D.; Folberth, C.; Liu, W.; Makowski, D.; Olin, S.; Pugh, T. A. M.; Reddy, A.; Schmid, E.; Jeong, S.; Zhou, F.; Piao, S., Global irrigation contribution to wheat and maize yield. Nature Communications. 2021, 12: 1235. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21498-5. See Collection “Research in support of the UN 2023 Water Conference” at https://www.nature.com/collections/jggcdacijj

15. Lu, X.; Ye, X.; Zhou, M.; Zhao, Y.; Weng, H.; Kong, H.; Li, K.; Gao, M.; Zheng, B.; Lin, J.; Zhou, F.; Zhang, Q.; Wu, D.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Y., The underappreciated role of agricultural soil nitrogen oxide emissions in ozone pollution regulation in North China. Nature Communications. 2021, 12: 5021. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25147-9. See Collection “Clean Air” at https://www.nature.com/collections/fifbihieie