Jiameng Lai
Jiameng Lai is an environmental scientist who integrates plant physiology theories, land surface modeling, satellite remote sensing, and data assimilation techniques to monitor, understand and predict the complex dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems in response to environmental change.
Pursuing her Ph.D. at Cornell University under the mentorship of Professor Ying Sun, Jiameng has pioneered novel approaches to tracking terrestrial carbon-water exchanges by leveraging cutting-edge tracers—carbonyl sulfide (OCS) and carbon-13 isotopes. Her groundbreaking research has transformed our understanding of earth system science through significant contributions: first, by incorporating the previously overlooked yet critical mesophyll diffusion mechanism into land surface models-a practice that improving our process-based understanding of plant-atmosphere gas exchange; second, by revealing that terrestrial photosynthesis has been substantially underestimated in current global carbon cycle assessments—findings with profound implications for climate science and carbon sequestration strategies, and third, by developing a novel framework to estimate ecosystem water use efficiency and disentangle the interactive effects from CO2 and vapor pressure deficit. Prior to her doctoral work, Jiameng earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Nanjing University, where she worked with Dr. Wenfeng Zhan on innovative research addressing heat dynamics, energy flows, and sustainability challenges in urban environments.
As an Environmental Fellow, Jiameng will collaborate with Professor Paul Moorcroft to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of Amazon rainforest productivity and their environmental controls, bringing her unique interdisciplinary expertise to one of Earth's most critical ecosystems.
Faculty Host: Paul Moorcroft, Faculty of Arts and Sciences