Dr. Tongshu Zheng’s current research foci are:

1. Using mobile monitoring platforms to create ultra-high-resolution urban air pollution exposure maps, identify disadvantaged and sensitive populations, and quantify the spatial and temporal distributions of Volatile Chemical Products (including previously unmeasurable and often overlooked compounds) across major Chinese cities, thereby improving understanding of their impacts on air quality, climate, and public health.
2. Using low-cost air quality sensors to investigate how building types, HVAC systems, human activities, and outdoor environmental conditions influence indoor air pollution.
3. Developing a novel satellite-based approach to detect unaccounted urban ethane emissions from oil and natural gas activities across major cities in China by integrating hyperspectral infrared observations from the Cross-Track Infrared Sounder with atmospheric chemistry modeling, radiative transfer simulations, and physics-informed neural networks.

His teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include atmospheric chemistry, data science, computer science, and environmental science.

Dr. Zheng has published eight SCI-indexed journal papers (four as first author and two as second author) in leading journals such as Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Atmospheric Environment, Remote Sensing, and Science of Remote Sensing. His highly influential study, “Field evaluation of low-cost particulate matter sensors in high- and low-concentration environments,” has been cited by leading academic institutions including MIT, Harvard, and UC Berkeley, as well as top-tier journals such as Science and PNAS.

Professionally, he has worked at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. environmental technology company Aclima, where he contributed to the modernization of California state government greenhouse gas monitoring network data infrastructures, U.S.–nationwide mobile air quality measurement projects, and the development of calibration algorithms and predictive air quality models for hyperlocal urban air pollution mapping for government clients across California, New York, Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Mexico. His work has supported several impactful environmental initiatives, including California’s AB 617 Community Air Protection Program.

Dr. Zheng earned his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Sustainable Development from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, graduating with First Class Honours. In 2018, he completed his Master’s in Environmental Engineering at Duke University, followed by a Ph.D. in the same field in 2021, where he was recognized as the “Outstanding Scholar” in his department upon graduation. In recognition of his doctoral research, he received the Sloan Foundation Energy Data Analytics Ph.D. Fellowship and the Senol Utku Annual Award, and his work was featured on the cover of the Sloan Foundation’s Annual Report Highlights.