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About Me

I am an Associate Professor at China Agricultural University, working at the intersection of GIS, environmental science, agricultural economics, and sustainability analytics. My research centers on two major directions:

• Spatiotemporal process modeling of agricultural–environmental systems
• Optimization and governance of sustainable agri-food systems

I have served as the Principal Investigator for multiple competitive research fundings, including a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Young Scientist Project, the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, the National Program for Postdoctoral Innovative Talents, as well as several National Key Laboratory Open Funds and university-level interdisciplinary grants. These fundings collectively support my long-term research agenda on spatiotemporal process modeling and the sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.

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Research Directions

1. Spatiotemporal Process Modeling of Agricultural–Environmental Systems

I develop spatially explicit models to understand how agricultural production, pollutant migration, ecological processes, and human behaviors evolve across space and time. By integrating GIS, remote sensing, spatial statistics, and system simulation, my work uncovers heterogeneity, dynamics, and feedbacks within coupled human–environment systems.

2. Optimization & Governance of Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

I design optimization and policy frameworks to achieve low-carbon development, heavy-metal pollution governance, and biodiversity protection. My research quantifies the environmental footprints embedded in interprovincial food circulation and proposes implementable solutions that support China’s dual-carbon goals, food safety strategies, and ecological compensation mechanisms.

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Methods & Tools

• Spatial modeling: GIS, Remote Sensing, GeoDetector, spatial regression
• Optimization: Linear programming, multi-objective optimization, heuristic algorithms (GA, ACO)
• Machine learning: Random Forest, LSTM, Seq2Seq
• Environmental & exposure models: InVEST, DNDC, exposure assessment frameworks

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Selected Publications

1. Yang J. et al. (2025). Internalizing the external costs to achieve environmental and economic goals: A case study of rice production in China. Food Policy, 132: 102857.
2. Yang J. et al. (2022). Chain modeling for the biogeochemical nexus of cadmium in the soil–rice–human health system. Environment International, 167: 107424.
3. Yang J. et al. (2021). Rice supply flows and their determinants in China. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 174: 105812.
4. Yang J. et al. (2023). Joint effects and spatiotemporal characteristics of the driving factors of landslides in earthquake areas. Journal of Earth Science, 34: 330–338.
5. Yang J. et al. (2018). New method for landslide susceptibility mapping using spatial logistic regression and GeoDetector: A case study of the Duwen Highway Basin, Sichuan, China. Geomorphology, 324. (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
6. Yang J. et al. (2022). Modeling the spatial relationship between rice cadmium and soil properties considering confounding effects and spatial heterogeneity. Chemosphere, 287(4): 132402.
7. Yang J. et al. (2024). Cross-provincial inpatient mobility patterns and their determinants in China. BMC Health Services Research, 24: 1004.
8. Li L, ……, Yang J. (Corresponding) (2024). Enhancing landslide susceptibility mapping by integrating neighboring information in slope units. Remote Sensing, 16(23): 4475.
9. Yang Y, Yang J. (Co-first) (2019). Local-scale landslide susceptibility mapping using the B-GeoSVC model. Landslides, 16: 1301–1312.
10. Long W., Yang J. (Corresponding), Tian X., Fan S. (2025). Foundations, bottlenecks, and innovative pathways for benefit compensation in China’s main grain-producing areas. Journal of South China Agricultural University (Social Science Edition), 24(3): 17–33.

🔗 A more complete list is available on my Google Scholar profile.

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Teaching

• Low-carbon Economic Management
• Spatial Modeling and Optimization for Agri-Food Systems
• GIS & Big Data Applications in Food Safety and Environmental Governance

Collaboration

I am open to collaborations on:

• Low-carbon transformation of rice and staple food systems
• Heavy metal risk governance in agricultural regions
• Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and agricultural policy design

Feel free to reach out by email.