Expert in Environmental Analytics, Urban Air Quality & Exposure Modeling
By: Deepthi
Conference Manager, WARE 2026
11/21/2025
Dr. Zhanghua Chen is a distinguished environmental health and exposure-science researcher at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, known for her work at the intersection of air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, and public-health risk assessment. Her research integrates advanced statistical modeling, sensor-based monitoring, and environmental data analytics to understand how urban pollution patterns influence human exposure and long-term health outcomes.
As part of USC’s world-renowned environmental health research ecosystem, Dr. Chen has contributed to major interdisciplinary initiatives examining particulate matter, toxic air contaminants, and ultrafine particle behaviors in densely populated regions. Her work helps clarify how environmental conditions, mobility patterns, and micro-scale atmospheric processes shape exposure hotspots in major cities—critical insights for environmental regulators, planners, and community decision-makers.
Dr. Chen is widely recognized for developing improved exposure-estimation frameworks that merge satellite observations, real-time sensor networks, and machine-learning–based spatial mapping. These innovations provide more accurate assessments of pollutant impacts on vulnerable populations, informing policy decisions on transportation, emissions, and environmental justice.
At WARE-2026, Dr. Zhanghua Chen will present “Advanced Exposure Modeling for Urban Air Quality: Integrating Sensors, Satellite Data & Machine Intelligence,” highlighting scalable tools that cities can adopt to strengthen environmental monitoring, reduce health risks, and support climate-resilient urban planning.