Jia Chen

Professor Jia Chen is a Professor of Environmental Sensing and Modeling at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), holding positions in both the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well as the Department of Civil, Geo and Environmental Engineering. She also maintains an affiliation as an Associate at Harvard University. Her pioneering work focuses on developing novel optical sensors and atmospheric models to monitor and quantify greenhouse gas emissions in urban environments.

Professor Chen's most significant contribution is the development of the differential column measurement method and the establishment of MUCCnet, the world's first permanent urban column sensor network. This groundbreaking work enables continuous, city-wide monitoring of greenhouse gases. Her research team has made notable discoveries, including quantifying methane emissions from events like the Munich Oktoberfest and identifying previously underestimated urban emission sources.

Her research spans atmospheric science, environmental engineering, and climate change mitigation, with particular emphasis on:

• Urban greenhouse gas monitoring systems
• Advanced atmospheric modeling techniques
• Sensor network development for environmental monitoring
• Integration of machine learning with emission quantification
• Urban air quality assessment methodologies

Professor Chen has received numerous prestigious awards including:

• Timothy Oke Award (2024) for original research in urban climatology
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2022)
• Arnold Sommerfeld-Award (2021)
• Germany's "Top 40 under 40" recognition by Capital Magazine (2020)
• Membership in the Global Young Academy (2021)

She leads an extensive research group with numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, and her work is supported by major funding from ERC, EU Horizon 2020, United Nations Environment Programme, NASA, ESA, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and German Research Foundation. Professor Chen has authored over 180 publications and 12 patents, with an h-index of 35.