Jun Wang

Jun Wang is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa, with secondary appointments in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and the Iowa Technology Institute. Before joining Iowa in 2016, he served for nine years as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Prof. Wang’s research integrates satellite remote sensing and Earth system modeling to study air quality, wildfires, aerosol–cloud interactions, and land–atmosphere exchanges. His group investigates how natural and human activities—such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions, irrigation, and agriculture—affect atmospheric composition and climate. He has also collaborated on interdisciplinary projects involving public health, agriculture, renewable energy, supercomputing, and data visualization, with visiting appointments at NASA GSFC, NOAA STAR, and NCAR.

Prof. Wang has authored or co-authored more than 230 peer-reviewed publications, served in editorial roles for several scientific journals, and is passionate about communicating research findings to the public through media and outreach activities.

A Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, and a Senior Member of IEEE, Prof. Wang received the UI’s Scholar of the Year Award and the Regents Award for Faculty Excellence in 2024, the 2022 AGU Atmospheric Section ASCENT award, and the 2024 AGU Joanne Simpson Medal for “breakthroughs in remote sensing of fires and aerosols, seminal work in atmospheric composition studies, and outstanding service to the AGU community.”

Prof. Wang earned his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Alabama–Huntsville and completed postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He also holds degrees from the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His early honors include the NASA Earth System Science Fellowship, the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship, the NASA New Investigator Award, and NASA Group Achievement Awards for the TEMPO and SNPP missions.

Having grown up near the Yangtze River delta, Prof. Wang’s early fascination with weather and agriculture continues to inspire his work. His team’s recent development of a real-time weather and air quality forecasting system for the Midwest (esmc.uiowa.edu) helps farmers make data-informed decisions on irrigation, fertilization, and harvesting.

Prof. Wang finds great joy in mentoring students and young scientists. He believes that one of the most rewarding aspects of academia is witnessing students’ growth and success. His students have received numerous awards at local, state, and national levels, gained valuable experience in national laboratories, and presented their research across the country. In 2009, he received “Academic Star” award from University of Nebraska - Lincoln for “taking the art of mentoring to new height”.