Our team · UCLA
Our researchers and students work across environmental health, aerosol science, exposure assessment and climate to advance healthier, more resilient communities.
Postdoctoral scholar
Haoxuan received his Ph.D. in environmental sciences from Peking University in 2020. His research interests include bioaerosols, the health effects of air pollution and breath-borne biomarkers.
His current work evaluates the health impacts of electronic cigarettes through breath profiles and explores the biological and immune processes associated with e-cigarette-induced pulmonary injury.
Associate project scientist
Jing is an Associate Project Scientist after completing her postdoctoral work in UCLA’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at Peking University and previously conducted postdoctoral research at Caltech.
Her research centers on exposure to indoor air pollution, its health effects and mitigation, as well as the public-health impacts of climate change. Her work also examines airborne pathogen transmission, environmental inequity and health disparities in indoor air quality.
Undergraduate researcher · Environmental Science
Katarina is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science at UCLA. Alongside her academic studies, she contributes to air quality and antibiotic resistance research with the Zhu Research Group and Jay Lab.
She values both the professional friendships and the interdisciplinary skills she is cultivating—from conducting laboratory experiments and fieldwork to creating GIS maps and scientific visuals. Reflecting her core beliefs, the work she does today advances her goal of bringing human rhythms back into harmony with nature and fostering socio-ecological flourishing.
Ph.D. student
Muchuan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. His research interests include particle exposure assessment in different environmental settings and the associated health effects.
His current work evaluates a negative-pressure particle-containment device used in airway management, uses virtual reality to study the physiological and psychological effects of ambient haze, and investigates on-roadway and near-roadway traffic exposures.
Postdoctoral researcher
Qiao is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA. His research focuses on climate-change mitigation and associated air-quality co-benefits, with particular emphasis on zero-emission vehicle policy and equitable access to electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.
He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 2024 and holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University.
Ph.D. student
Siri is a Ph.D. student in UCLA’s Environmental and Molecular Toxicology interdepartmental program. Her research interests include characterizing electronic-cigarette exposure and the implications of chronic use for the cardiovascular system.
Her work investigates how electronic-cigarette composition influences the resulting aerosol’s physicochemical properties and supports research on secondhand exposure. She also conducts research in the Environmental Cardiology and Vascular Biology Lab.
Postdoctoral scholar
Yuan is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She received her doctoral degree in Environment and Health from Peking University in 2022.
Her research interests include environmental exposure assessment, the biological mechanisms underlying air-pollution-related health issues, susceptibility to pollution exposure, and the connections among air pollution, climate change and human health.
People of the Zhu Research Group