Kaiyu Guan

Dr. Kaiyu Guan is a Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a joint appointment at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). He holds additional roles as a Blue Waters Professor, Siebel School of Computing and Data Science Professor, and Director of the Agroecology Sustainability Center. His research focuses on computational environmental science, particularly vegetation-hydrology interactions, climate change impacts on ecosystems, and agricultural sustainability. Dr. Guan utilizes satellite data, machine learning, and modeling to address challenges in crop productivity, water management, and food security. He has affiliations with multiple centers including the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment and the Center for Digital Agriculture.

Education: PhD in Environmental Engineering (Princeton University, 2013); B.S. in Geography and Geoinformatics (Nanjing University, 2008).

Research interests include ecohydrology, the water-food-energy nexus, and agroecosystem modeling. He explores innovations in remote sensing, soil carbon dynamics, and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. Current projects emphasize climate resilience and adaptation in agricultural systems. Dr. Guan leads collaborative efforts to advance agrivoltaics, precision agriculture, and digital twins for farmland management. His work bridges computational science with real-world applications to enhance global sustainability.

Publications highlight breakthroughs in crop monitoring, soil gas flux analysis, and carbon budget quantification. He actively recruits graduate students and postdocs in crop remote sensing and modeling. His grants and collaborations span federal agencies, industry, and international partners, driving advancements in climate-smart agricultural practices.

Labs/Teams: Agroecology Sustainability Center, NCSA, and the Center for Digital Agriculture. These hubs foster interdisciplinary research in agroecosystems, computational tools, and sustainable agriculture solutions.