Jingjing Liang

Jingjing Liang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University's College of Agriculture. His research focuses on quantitative forest ecology, leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics to address critical ecological questions related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable forest management. He founded the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) and the Science-i platform, fostering global collaboration across 125+ countries.

• Education: Peking University (undergraduate research on desertification), University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD in Forestry on biodiversity impacts in forest growth)

Liang's work redefines ecological paradigms through global forest inventory databases, including digitizing Alaska's first comprehensive forest inventory. His studies, such as a Science publication on species-rich forests' productivity and a PNAS study estimating undiscovered tree species (14% globally), have garnered media attention from CNN, BBC, and Forbes. He emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusivity in data science, serving on Purdue's Institute of Physical Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) and Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF).

Scientific Awards:

• 2025 University Faculty Scholar at Purdue

Liang leads the Purdue Forest Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence (FACAI) Laboratory and is currently on sabbatical with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. He has mentored numerous researchers and advocates for advancing AI applications in forestry, crediting his PhD advisor, Dr. Joseph Bongiorno, for shaping his early career.