Teaching & Mentoring

Research Mentoring

Research mentoring is a central part of my educational work. I have mentored postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers working across atmospheric science, ecology, Earth system modeling, and artificial intelligence.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Chris Smith
Research integrating process-based models and machine learning to estimate global wetland methane emissions.

Santanu Halder
Research on atmospheric methane, inverse modeling, and CarbonTracker-CH₄.

Graduate Students

Kevin Rozmiarek — Ph.D. student at University of Colorado Boulder
Research on methane stable isotopes and Arctic thermokarst lakes.

Matt Ziminski — M.S. student at University of Illinois Chicago
Development of interactive visualizations for CarbonTracker-CH₄ atmospheric and surface-flux products.

Rongchao Dong — Ph.D. student at University of Pittsburg
Machine-learning methods for global methane-flux prediction.

Yiming Sun — Ph.D. student at University of Pittsburg
Artificial-intelligence benchmark datasets and predictive modeling of wetland methane emissions.

Undergraduate Students

Christianese Kaiser - Undergraduate student at Princeton University
Regional modeling of annual Arctic methane soil sinks using microbial-process representations.

Mentoring Areas

My students and mentees have worked on topics including:

  • atmospheric methane trends and source attribution;
  • methane stable isotopes;
  • wetland methane emissions;
  • microbial methane oxidation and soil methane sinks;
  • Arctic and boreal carbon cycling;
  • atmospheric inverse modeling;
  • process-based Earth system modeling;
  • knowledge-guided machine learning;
  • scientific programming and visualization; and
  • scientific writing and publication.

Guest Lectures and Teaching

I regularly contribute to undergraduate and graduate education through invited guest lectures, research seminars, and interdisciplinary workshops that connect fundamental Earth system science with current research.

Selected guest lectures include:

  • University of Colorado Boulder (2026)
    GEOG 5100 – Special Topics: Carbon Cycle
    Guest lecture on the global methane cycle, atmospheric inverse modeling, and CarbonTracker-CH₄.

  • Yale University, School of the Environment (2023)
    ENV 623 – Climate Change: Science and Solutions
    Guest lecture on methane and climate disruption, highlighting recent advances in atmospheric observations and global methane source attribution.

  • Purdue University (2019)
    EAPS 591 – Stable Isotopes
    Guest lecture on stable isotope applications for understanding the global methane cycle.

  • Purdue University (2019)
    EAPS 529 – Modeling Ecosystems and Biogeochemical Cycles
    Guest lecture on microbial methane oxidation and its role in regulating Arctic methane emissions under climate change.

Educational and Community Leadership

My educational contributions extend beyond individual mentoring and classroom teaching. I help create scientific communities in which students and early-career researchers can learn, collaborate, and develop professional networks.

AI4Methane

As Principal Investigator of the AI for Natural Methane Working Group, I established an interdisciplinary research community connecting environmental scientists, Earth system modelers, and artificial-intelligence researchers. The initiative has since expanded into AI4Methane, an international collaboration advancing artificial intelligence for both natural and anthropogenic methane research through collaborative projects, workshops, shared datasets, and open-source software.

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory Seminar Series

As an organizer of the NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory Seminar Series, I coordinate weekly seminars that bring together researchers and students to discuss emerging topics in atmospheric composition, greenhouse gases, climate, observations, and Earth system modeling.

CIRES Mentoring Program

As a mentor in the CIRES Mentoring Program, I support early-career researchers through professional development, career guidance, and cross-disciplinary mentoring while contributing to an inclusive research environment.

FLUXNET Early Career Scientist Network

As an organizer of the FLUXNET Early Career Scientist Network, I help foster professional development, scientific exchange, and international collaboration among early-career scientists working in ecosystem flux and Earth system research.

Workshops and Scientific Sessions

I organize interdisciplinary workshops and scientific sessions for the American Geophysical Union and other international research communities. These activities provide opportunities for students and early-career scientists to present their research, receive constructive feedback, expand their professional networks, and develop new interdisciplinary collaborations.