Facing climate change challenges with scientific knowledge and practical solutions

Mengxin Pan

I will join the Department of Geography at Simon Fraser University as a tenure-track assistant professor in Jan 2025. I am a postdoctoral associate in the Division of Earth and Climate Science, Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Before that, I got my Ph.D. from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2021) and Bachelor's degree from Southeast University (2016).

Dr. Mengxin Pan

I am seeking Master's and Ph.D. students to join my "Climate and Weather Extremes Lab" in Fall 2025 or Spring/Fall 2026. Both Master's and PhD students have comprehensive funding support, covering tuition and living expenses in Vancouver, Canada.The official application deadline for Fall 2025 is Jan 2025, so please email me before Jan 1st 2025 if you are interested. See more details in opportunities.

Research & Publications

My research combines advanced data mining techniques with climate dynamics to address real-world problems, with two interconnected objectives. First, advancing the fundamental insight of climate and weather extremes, with specific interests in Atmospheric Rivers and their changes in a warming climate. Second, bridging the physical and social dimensions in facing climate change challenges.

1). Extreme weather under climate change

Atmospheric rivers (ARs), "the rivers in the sky", are long, narrow, and transient corridors with intensive moisture transport in the atmosphere. They provide essential moisture to terrestrial ecosystems and human water resources, while the landfall of extreme ARs also bring life-threatening extreme weathers.

Regarding ARs as the bridge, I study how large-scale climate variability modulates mid-latitude extreme weather in the warming climate. Utilizing machine learning algorithms, I develop AR detection algorithms, redefine the annual cycle of East Asia ARs, study the diversity of propagation behavior of cross-Pacific ARs, and explore if we have experienced more ARs under the ongoing climate change and its underly mechanisms.

Redefine East Asia AR by Self-organizing Map Diversity of cross-Pacific AR main route
  • Pan, M., Hu, S. Zaitchik, B. & Pan, W.K. Contrasting Historical Trend of Atmospheric Rivers in the Northern Hemisphere. Submitted.
  • Pan, M., Lu, M. & Lall, U. (2024). Diversity of cross-Pacific Atmospheric River Main Routes. Communications Earth & Environment, 5, 378. [Link]
  • Pan, M., & Lu, M. (2022). Long-lead predictability of western north Pacific subtropical high. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 127(5), 2021JD035967. [Link]
  • Pan, M., & Lu, M. (2020). East Asia atmospheric river catalog: annual cycle, transition mechanism, and precipitation. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(15), e2020GL089477. [Link]
  • Pan, M., & Lu, M. (2019). A novel atmospheric river identification algorithm. Water Resources Research, 55(7). [Link]

2). Climate Change and Society

Starting from climate dynamics, I lead interdisciplinary collaborative studies about the climate impact in a warming world, providing holistic understanding and practical climate solutions. Collaborating with Global Health, I explore the overlooked role of tropical oceans in vector-borne disease prediction. Collaborating with Civil Engineering, I investigate the resilience of bridges in facing extreme temperatures under global warming.

Long-lead malaria prediction by tropical ocean Increasing extreme temperature threats bridge expansion joint
  • Pan, M., Hu, S., Janko, M, Zaitchik, B.,..., & Pan, W.K. Beyond ENSO: Harnessing tropical ocean in long-lead vector-borne disease prediction. Submitted.
  • Pan, M., Hu, S., Janko, M, Zaitchik, B.,..., & Pan, W.K. Superior predictive power of El Niño-Southern Oscillation in Colombia Malaria outbreak. In prep.
  • Pan, M., Wang, Y., Hu, S., & Au, F. T. K. Extremely High Temperature Threatens Global Bridges under Climate Change. In prep.

Fully funded Master's and PhD opportunities

The research theme is applied data science in climate science. Students from all climate science and data science backgrounds are welcome, including climate dynamics, atmospheric science, oceanography, physics, or related disciplines. Students from diverse backgrounds who are interested in interdisciplinary research are also welcome, including but not limited in statistics, global health, social science, and civil engineering.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree (for Master's applicants) or Master's degree (for Ph.D. applicants);
  • Strong interests in applied data science in climate science (Programming and data analysis proficiency is prefered);
  • Strong academic performance;
  • Demonstrated self-motivation, independence, and critical thinking ability;

How to Apply

  • Please send your CV, personal/research statement, and academic transcripts to mengxin_pan@sfu.ca.
  • Prefer to admit students with prior connections, so early inquiries are strongly encouraged.
  • English proficiency scores or publications are not required for initial application.
  • The official application deadline for Fall 2025 is Jan 2025, so please email me before Jan 1st 2025 if you are interested.

(See details here for more information on the application procedure).