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Professional Summary

Dr. Kai Wang is a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University. His research focuses on the dynamics of terrestrial carbon sinks across multiple timescales, including interannual variability, seasonal cycles, and long-term trends. A central aim of his work is to uncover the mechanisms through which climate warming, extreme heat, and drought affect terrestrial carbon sinks and carbon-climate feedbacks.

He co-leads the development of artificial intelligence (AI) models constrained by terrestrial carbon–water cycling processes, with the aim of shifting terrestrial carbon sink assessment from delayed, retrospective estimates toward near-real-time monitoring, attribution, and prediction. His main research approaches include atmospheric inversion models, ecosystem carbon cycle models, multi-source remote sensing observations, and process-informed AI models of the carbon cycle.

As of June 2026, he has published more than ten papers as first and/or corresponding author (including co-first and co-corresponding authorship) in high-impact journals including Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Nature Geoscience, National Science Review, Global Change Biology, and Science Bulletin, and his h-index is 24.

Education and Professional Experience

2025-Present  Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University

2023-2025  Boya Postdoctoral Fellow, Peking University

2018-2023  Ph.D. in Physical Geography, Peking University

2014-2018  B.S. in Geophysics, Wuhan University

Research Projects

2026-2028  National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Young Scientists Fund – Type C   Principal Investigator

2025-2030  National Key Research and Development Program of China, Subproject  Principal Investigator

2024-2025  Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Support Program  Principal Investigator

Academic Service

Reviewer for Global Change Biology, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Science Bulletin, Journal of Geophysical Research, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Earth System Dynamics, Journal of Climate, Global and Planetary Change, Scientific Reports, Resources, Conservation & Recycling, and International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, among others.