Yunji ZhangView profile
Assistant Professor
Yunji Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science within The Pennsylvania State University . He also serves as the Assistant Director of the Penn State Center for Advanced Data Assimilation and Predictability Techniques (ADAPT) and is affiliated with the Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering and Design with Africa (AESEDA) . Research Focus: Dr. Zhang investigates the dynamics and predictability of convectively driven severe weather , including tropical cyclones, mesoscale convective systems, and severe thunderstorms. His work emphasizes ensemble-based data assimilation techniques using satellite and radar observations to enhance numerical weather prediction models. Current projects involve improving forecasts of hurricanes like Harvey and Midwest derecho events through advanced assimilation of all-sky microwave and infrared radiances. Publications Trends: His recent studies (2021-2025) highlight advancements in Ensemble data assimilation of dual-polarization radar and satellite data Predictability of extreme rainfall events in Zhengzhou and China Multi-sensor approaches for convection initiation forecasting Microphysical parameterization impacts on hurricane prediction Automated boundary layer depth estimation techniques Global-to-regional nested modeling for tropical cyclones Advising: Dr. Zhang mentors current graduate students Zhu Yao and Abhisek Das, while former advisees include Ph.D. recipient Keenan Eure and M.S. graduate Paul Mykolajtchuk . He actively invites students interested in M.S. or Ph.D. research to contact him via email. Labs & Centers: His work is supported by the Penn State Center for Advanced Data Assimilation and Predictability Techniques (ADAPT) and collaborations with the Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering and Design with Africa (AESEDA) .










