Xufei Yang

Xufei Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University (SDSU), concurrently serving as an SDSU Extension Environmental Quality Engineer. His work bridges environmental engineering and agricultural systems, focusing on air quality solutions for livestock operations and precision agriculture innovations. He teaches Agricultural Waste Management and leads research in bioaerosol mitigation, sustainable waste-to-resource systems, and cyberinfrastructure development for smart farming.

Education: Ph.D., University of Illinois; M.S. & B.S., Tsinghua University. His professional experience includes roles in environmental management outreach targeting South Dakota livestock producers, emphasizing practical solutions for reducing emissions and optimizing resource use.

Research Interests include:

• Development of cost-effective air quality monitoring technologies for agricultural environments
• Optimization of algal-based bioremediation systems using photobioreactors
• Cybersecurity frameworks for agricultural IoT systems
• Wastewater nutrient recovery and energy-efficient treatment processes

Grant Activities: Current projects include a $500k FFAR-funded study on bioaerosol characterization in swine facilities, a $250k SD Cyber-Ag-Law initiative for LPWAN-based precision systems, and multiple industry collaborations addressing feed waste reduction and soybean byproduct utilization. Past work includes noise exposure studies in forestry operations and UAV-based methane monitoring systems.

Labs/Teams: Leads SDSU's Agricultural Environment and Energy Lab, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on biofilter design, microbial fuel cell sensors, and smart agriculture infrastructure. Active in extension programs delivering environmental management training to producers across South Dakota.