Dr. Tianjia Liu appointed as Assistant Professor in Atmospheric Sciences



Please join us in welcoming incoming Assistant Professor Tianjia (Tina) Liu to the UBC Department of Geography. Beginning her research program with us in January 2025, Dr. Liu joins us from the University of California, Irvine, where she held a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship position. Dr. Liu holds a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University. As an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, her research lies at the intersection of geography, atmospheric science, and public health. 

Currently focused on modern human-fire relationships, the role of fire in the Earth system, and the impacts of extreme events on planetary health, Dr. Liu has started her EMBRS (Environmental Modeling, oBservations, and Remote Sensing) Lab in the department. 

“Both the US and Canada have experienced extreme wildfire seasons in recent years, leading to substantial costs such as structure loss, displacement of communities, and air pollution episodes. And what that will look like in the future will be critical and interesting to study,” shares Dr. Liu. 

The EMBRS lab explores questions such as what fuels extreme fire seasons, and what are the possibilities for adaptation? How do suppression efforts change how fires grow? How do fires interact with climate extremes such as heatwaves and droughts or complicate efforts to mitigate air pollution? 

“Our lab studies how people use, ignite, and control fires in North America and globally. By leveraging advances in remote sensing, geospatial computing, and modeling, we look to deepen our understanding of human-fire relationships and improve tools and algorithms for fire monitoring, prediction, and impact assessments.”
UBC Geography
 

Using an array of data from satellites, surface observations, reports, and surveys, the EMBRS lab can compile and analyze historical and current data to monitor fire activity and study its drivers and impacts. With this data, they run atmospheric models to calculate the amount of air pollution generated from fires and track the transport of smoke around the globe. Determining smoke exposure levels can help inform our understanding of the human health impacts. 

“We need to become better equipped for future fire seasons and learn how best to mitigate the negative impacts of fire in our communities. Climate change is part of the equation, but people are just as important through ignitions, land management, suppression, and policies,” says Liu. 

Scientists working in this field are increasingly turning to Indigenous knowledge keepers to learn about traditional strategies like cultural burning practices that hold enormous value for communities, the environment, and human health. Some species and ecosystems actually rely on fire to flourish. 

“Fire has been a constant through the course of human history. But it can also hinder society without proper management and foresight. The common belief is that wildfires are bad news, but cultural and prescribed fires, or planned and controlled burning, can preserve the health of our forest ecosystems and mitigate the risk of large and destructive wildfires by reducing fuel build-up,” explains Liu. 

Dr. Liu at the World Resources Institute offices in Jakarta

Dr. Liu’s EMBRS lab is exploring timely climate change and socially relevant issues using cutting edge technology. The team draws on diverse expertise from statistical modelling and data science to atmospheric chemistry, and public health and environmental policy. Blending tools and strategies across a variety of disciplines is what excites Dr. Liu most about her work. 

“I’m excited about potential collaborations with other faculty and students here at Geography working in areas adjacent to my research. With my focus on the computational side of things, I’m interested in developing relationships with human and physical geographers doing lab and field work. There are also opportunities to work with colleagues across other departments and to explore topics related to climate justice or sustainability to further expand my lab’s work,” shares Dr. Liu.  

We are thrilled to have Dr. Liu and her lab join our diverse faculty and are eager to see what fruitful collaborations will arise from her impactful work.