Professor Zong-Liang Yang elected an AGU Fellow  

December 13, 2025

Professor Zong-Liang Yang was elected as an AGU fellow, joining a distinguished group of 52 individuals in the 2025 Class of Fellows. AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, bestows this honor annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. 

Since the program’s inception in 1962, less than 0.1% of AGU members have been selected as fellows each year.

Yang was selected for his exemplary leadership and outstanding scientific achievements, which have significantly advanced the understanding of land surface interactions and how they are represented in regional and global climate models. 

Yang’s models are used at a number of leading research institutions. This includes the U.S. NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the U.S. National Water Center. In August 2025, Yang convened a land modeling workshop that was attended by more than 250 scientists that explored the science behind extreme weather events, with a particular focus on coastal hazards. 

In addition to improving models, Yang’s research has led to insights on how extreme weather events are currently unfolding. For example, an analysis of soil moisture measurements from global hydroclimate data revealed that “flash droughts” — where soil dries out in a matter of days to weeks — are coming on faster. Yang has also examined how climate interacts with urban environments. He is a co-author of a recent study that found that cities, particularly in hotter and wetter climates, receive more rain than surrounding rural areas.