16 Sep 2025
Recently, our School of Science received exciting news! The Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology released the list for the 2025 Provincial Fundamental Research Plan. Dr. Qing Mu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Science at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was selected under the 2025 Jiangsu Science and Technology Fundamental Research Plan Young-Scholar Programme to lead explainable AI-driven research on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) greenhouse gases.
The funded innovative project, titled “Research on High-Precision Inversion and Interpretability Mechanism of Atmospheric XCO₂ in Jiangsu Province Based on Artificial Intelligence,” will run from October 2025 to September 2028. The project will build a daily XCO₂ dataset for Jiangsu covering 2003–2021 at 0.025° × 0.025° spatial resolution, and apply interpretable AI methods to systematically quantify the contributions of meteorology, vegetation, and anthropogenic emissions to CO₂ variability, further revealing its spatiotemporal mechanisms.
Advancing AI for Atmospheric Science
The project will establish a complete technical chain — “high-precision visualization → interpretable attribution → sensitivity experiments” — opening new perspectives for carbon source–sink research and deepening the application of artificial intelligence in atmospheric science. This approach will help the team identify the drivers of CO₂ changes with greater clarity and offer fresh perspectives on the regional carbon cycle.
At the same time, the findings will support Jiangsu’s “dual-carbon” goals. By pinpointing key emission areas, quantifying factor contributions, and evaluating the potential effects of mitigation plans, the project will provide scientific evidence and data support for low-carbon collaborative governance across the Yangtze River Delta.
Dr. Qing Mu said, "The approval of this project would not have been possible without the strong support from the School of Science in the 'AI+Science' initiative. The application of AI in environmental science holds great promise and is set to become a key tool in addressing future challenges related to atmospheric environment and climate change.”
About Dr Qing Mu
Dr Qing Mu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences at the School of Science, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. She integrates atmospheric numerical modeling, data science, and artificial intelligence technologies to investigate the atmospheric processes of air pollutants, bioaerosols, and greenhouse gases. Her team also analyzes the impacts of extreme climate events on the atmospheric environment and public health. Dr. Mu received her education from Nanjing University, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany. Prior to joining Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, she served as a tenured Scientist at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. She has got the NSFC Young Scientists Fund, has been selected for a talent program in Jiangsu Province and serves as a committee member of the Atmospheric Chemistry Committee of the Jiangsu Meteorological Society. She has published more than twenty papers in leading journals such as Science Advances.
Dr. Mu is interested and actively recruiting talented PhD or Master’s students, particularly those with backgrounds in environmental science, data science, or computer science. Interested candidates are invited to send a CV and a brief statement of research interests to Qing.Mu@xjtlu.edu.cn.
16 Sep 2025