Dr. Xubin Zeng is the Agnese N. Haury Chair in Environment, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, and Director of the Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorolgy Collaborative at the University of Arizona. He is an affiliated professor of the Applied Mathematics, Global Change, and Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis Interdisciplinary Programs. He also directs the Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction (LAOI) Group.

Through over 270 peer-reviewed papers, Dr. Zeng's research has focused on land-atmosphere-ocean interface processes, weather and climate modeling, hydrometeorology, remote sensing, nonlinear dynamics, and big data analytics.

Dr. Zeng is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), American Geophysical Union (AGU), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He served on the AMS Council and Executive Committee, received the AMS Charles Franklin Brooks Award for Outstanding Service to the Society, and received the 2024 AGU Global Environmental Change Bert Bolin Award and Lecture. He also received the Special Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation. 

Dr. Zeng has held numerous leadership positions at national and international organizations. At present, he co-chairs the Scientific Steering Group of Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) - a core project of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) with 30+ international projects, and chairs the Advisory Committee of DOE PNNL Earth & Biological Sciences Directorate. 

Education

Ph.D.,    Colorado State University,          Atmospheric Science,     1992

M.S.,     Chinese Academy of Sciences,    Meteorology,                  1987

B.S.,      Nanjing University,                          Atmospheric Physics,          1984

Employment

2018-2019:      Co-Chair, University Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee

2018-2019:      Member, University President’s Cabinet

2014-present:   Agnese N. Haury Chair in Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

2008-present:   Founding Director, Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Collaborative 

                           (CDHC) with 45 faculty members from five colleges, University of Arizona

1994-present:   Professor (2004-present), Associate Professor (2000-2004), and Research Assistant

                         Professor (1994-2000), UA Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences

1998-present:  Affiliated professor, UA Interdisciplinary Programs: Global Change (1998-present),

                            Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis Interdisciplinary Program (2005-present),

                           Applied Mathematics (2019-present).

1988-1994:   UCAR Climate System Modeling Project Postdoctoral Associate (1992-1994),

                          Graduate Research Assistant (1988-1992), Department of Atmospheric Sciences,

                          Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Awards

2024:          AGU Global Environmental Change Bert Bolin Award and Lecture 

2023:          NASA’s Group Achievement Award 

2022-2024: Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 

2022:          Team member, $60K Prize for Third Place Award in the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

                         Snowcast Showdown (over western U.S.) Competition 

2021:          Fellow, American Geophysical Union

2021:          Charles Franklin Brooks Award, American Meteorological Society for Service to 

                         the Society 

2018:          Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)   

2018:          Outstanding Alum, Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science

2015-2016: Fellow, UA Academic Leadership Institute

2014:           Agnese N. Haury Chair, University of Arizona                             

2014:           Outstanding Faculty Award, UA Asian American Faculty, Staff & Alumni Association

2014:           Special Creativity Award, National Science Foundation

2012-2014:  Honorary Commander, 25th Operational Weather Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air 

                          Force Base, Tucson

2011:           Fellow, American Meteorological Society

2011:           Galileo Circle Fellow, UA College of Science

2008:           Corresponding Member, China Science Center of the International Eurasian Academy

                         of Sciences

2004:           Visiting Fellow, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), 

                        Reading, United Kingdom, July 2004

1999            AMS Editor's Award

1992-1994: Postdoctoral Associate, UCAR Climate System Modeling Project (CSMP)