Xinyuan Yu
Ph.D. Candidate·MIT Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
I am interested in how short-lived climate forcers affect air quality, climate, and human health. My current work focuses on tropospheric ozone, an air pollutant near the surface and a potent greenhouse gas, especially in the upper troposphere.
At MIT, I work with Prof. Arlene Fiore in the Fiore Group, combining chemistry–climate modeling with satellite, aircraft, ozonesonde, and surface observations to understand what drives tropospheric ozone trends and how they affect climate. Before MIT, I earned my B.A. and M.S. in Environmental Sciences at Peking University with Prof. Shu Tao. My work examined the health benefits of cleaner household energy and air-quality policies, and distinguished the effects of emissions and meteorology on black carbon.
News
- 2026Our paper on the avoided tropospheric ozone radiative forcing from US air pollution controls is accepted in Geophysical Research Letters.
- 2026Our paper showing that surface anthropogenic NOx emissions drive the 1995–2014 increase in tropospheric ozone is published in Geophysical Research Letters.
- Dec 2026I'll give a talk on climate responses to preindustrial-to-present-day tropospheric ozone changes at AGU in San Francisco.
- Aug 2024Our ES&T paper on the human fingerprint in upper tropospheric ozone trends is covered by MIT News.