Yuning Shi

Yuning Shi is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at The Pennsylvania State University. With 32 research outputs (2013-2025), an h-index of 17, and 960 citations, her work centers on land surface dynamics, hydrologic modeling, and biogeochemical cycling in critical zone observatories and agroecosystems, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals for climate action and ecosystem conservation.

Her research expertise spans:

• Critical Zone Processes: Soil-stream interfaces, Shale Hills observatory dynamics, and headwater catchment biogeochemistry
• Environmental Modeling: Development of BioRT-HBV (watershed-scale reactive transport) and Cycles (agroecosystem) models
• Climate Resilience: Agricultural adaptation to climate catastrophes and carbon storage impacts from land-cover transitions

Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a strong interdisciplinary focus on modeling biogeochemical processes in watersheds, climate-driven ecosystem transitions, and policy-relevant assessments of land-water management. This work integrates hydrology, ecology, and socio-economic analysis to address sustainability challenges, with significant media coverage (38 news outlets) and policy impacts.

Dr. Shi serves as Co-PI on an active NSF grant (2023-2026) investigating soil-stream interface dynamics in headwater catchments, collaborating with researchers from multiple institutions. Her projects emphasize field-data-driven model development and real-world applications for environmental management.

Her research operates within Penn State's Critical Zone Observatory network and ecosystem science community, leveraging interdisciplinary collaborations to advance predictive understanding of Earth surface processes.