Earth Scientist
Earth Scientist

Biography

Dr. Ying Zhang is an Earth scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, which is run through a partnership between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Her work focuses on integrated assessment modeling to explore the interactions among climate, energy, water, land, and socioeconomic systems. She leads model development efforts for the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), including advancing residential energy consumption modeling across income groups, integrating dynamic hydropower expansion in electricity generation systems, and implementing irrigation energy use by multiple fuel types in the model.

Dr. Zhang holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a minor in agricultural and applied economics. She previously conducted postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University on the food-energy-water nexus and has contributed to projects across Africa, the Arctic, and the United States. Dr. Zhang has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as Nature Sustainability and Scientific Reports.

Disciplines and Skills

  • Climatology
  • Econometrics
  • Hydrology
  • Hydropower
  • Integrated assessment modeling
  • Integrated systems
  • Integrated water resources management
  • Interdisciplinary studies
  • Machine learning
  • Predictive modeling
  • Statistical modeling
  • Systems modeling
  • Water resource engineering

Education

  • PhD in civil and environmental engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • MEng in civil and environmental engineering, Cornell University
  • BS in environmental sciences, Hunan University

Awards and Recognitions

  • Publication Challenge Coin, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2024
  • Certificate of Appreciation for exceptional efforts and dedication to the Young Research Workplace Environment Board (YouR-WEB) group and early career staff across the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, 2024
  • Outstanding Performance Award for planning and executing the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate mini conference, 2023

Publications

2025

  • Wejnert-Depue C., Y. Zhang, K.C. Casper, B. O'Neill, and S.T. Waldhoff. 2025. "A Conceptual Framework for Residential Energy Security in the Context of Clean Energy Transitions." Energy Research and Social Science 126:104096. PNNL-SA-198582. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2025.104096
  • Zhang Y., Y. Ou, S.T. Waldhoff, B. O'Neill, G.C. Iyer, J. Sampedro, and K.C. Casper. 2025. "Long-term Decarbonization Impacts on Residential Energy Security across Income Groups and US states." Environmental Research Letters 20, no. 5:054040. PNNL-SA-204574. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/adca4c

2024

  • Chowdhury A., T.B. Wild, Y. Zhang, M.T. Binsted, G.C. Iyer, S.H. Kim, and J.R. Lamontagne. 2024. "Hydropower expansion in eco-sensitive river basins under global energy-economic change." Nature Sustainability 7, no. 2:213 - 222. PNNL-SA-186546. doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01260-z
  • Zhang Y., S. Msangi, J.A. Edmonds, and S.T. Waldhoff. 2024. "Limited increases in Arctic offshore oil and gas production with climate change and the implications for energy markets." Scientific Reports 14. PNNL-SA-182718. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54007-x
  • Zhang Y., S. Sankaranarayanan, W. Nie, B.F. Zaitchik, and S. Siddiqui. 2024. "Small-Scale Irrigation: Improving Food Security under Changing Climate and Water Resource Conditions in Ethiopia." Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 150, no. 8:Art. No. 04024028. PNNL-SA-184441. doi:10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-6190

2023

  • Casper K.C., K. Narayan, B. O'Neill, S.T. Waldhoff, Y. Zhang, and C.P. Wejnert-Depue. 2023. "Non-parametric projections of the net-income distribution for all U.S. states for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways." Environmental Research Letters 18, no. 11:Art No. 114001. PNNL-SA-185706. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/acf9b8
  • Zhang Y., S.T. Waldhoff, M.A. Wise, J.A. Edmonds, and P.L. Patel. 2023. "Agriculture, bioenergy, and water implications of constrained cereal trade and climate change impacts." PLoS One 18, no. 9:Art. No. e0291577. PNNL-SA-167220. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0291577

2022

  • Zhang Y., M.T. Binsted, G.C. Iyer, S.H. Kim, T. Wild, and M. Zhao. 2022. "Long-term basin-scale hydropower expansion under alternative scenarios in a global multisector model." Environmental Research Letters 17, no. 11:Art. No. 114029. PNNL-SA-176400. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac9ac9

2021

  • Snyder A.C., S.T. Waldhoff, M. Ollenberger, and Y. Zhang. 2021. "Empirical estimation of weather-driven yield shocks using biophysical characteristics for US rainfed and irrigated maize, soybeans, and winter wheat." Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 9:094007. PNNL-SA-155872. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac15ce