Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jia Chen

Tel.: +49 (89) 289 - 23350
Fax: +49 (89) 289 - 23348
jia.chen [at] tum.de 

Room: N1512

Research:

Jia Chen’s current research focuses on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and understanding the metabolism of air pollutants in urban environments. Besides the development of novel, compact optical sensors, she has established the worldwide first city sensor network based on the novel method of differential column measurements (MUCCnet, https://atmosphere.ei.tum.de/). This pioneering work enables long-term assessment of urban greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. A more detailed description of our research activities can be found in Research Focus

CV:

Jia Chen studied electrical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe (Dipl.-Ing.) and was awarded a PhD with highest distinction (summa cum laude) from TUM. From 2011 to 2015 she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Environmental Science & Engineering Department at Harvard University (advisor: Steven C. Wofsy). Since 2015, Jia Chen has been Professor of Environmental Sensing and Modeling at the TUM Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She is also Associate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. In 2020, Prof. Chen was named as Germany’s “Top 40 unter 40” by the magazine Capital and in 2021 she was selected to be a member of the Global Young Academy, where she chairs the working group “Citizen Science for the 2030 SDG Agenda”.

Publications and Patents:

Jia Chen has authored and co-authored 2 books and 2 book chapters, 75 peer-reviewed journal publications and more than 150 conference contributions. Further, she has filed 12 patents, of which 9 are international patents.

Complete list of patents and publications

ORCID  Researchgate  Dissertation

Selected Awards and Recognition:

2023 ERC Consolidator Grant
2021 Arnold-Sommerfeld-Award
2021 Member of the Global Young Academy
2020 Young Elite - Top 40 under 40, Capital Magazine
2015

Rudolf Mößbauer Fellowship

2014 Postdoctoral Award for Professional Development, Harvard University
2012 VDE/ITG Award (ceremony)
2011 Rohde & Schwarz Award
2009 Kaiser Friedrich Forschungspreis
2009 Best Poster Award paper (first place) at the international conference EUROSENSORS
2009 Nomination for the international AMA SENSOR Innovation Award
2009 Incubic/Milton Chang Travel Grant Award
2008 IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society Graduate Student Fellowship Award
2007 Ernst von Siemens Promotionsstipendium
1999 2nd prize in the Chinese National Mathematics Olympiad Competition

Major Projects:

2023-2028 ERC Consolidator Grant: CoSense4Climate. Role: PI
2023-2026 BMBF ITMS (01LK2303B): Ground-based FTIR measurements of XCO2, XCH4 and XCO. Role: PI
2022-2025 EU Horizon 2020 (101037319): PAUL (Pilot application in urban landscapes towards integrated city observatories for greenhouse gases). Role: Scientific Lead for Munich, Task Lead for total column measurements
2021-2024 NASA: OCO validation and flux inversion using ground-based FTIR data from MUCCnet. Role: PI
2021-2024 Wiener Wissenschafts-, Forschungs-und Technologiefonds (ESR20-030): Vienna Urban Carbon Laboratory. Role: Co-PI
2020-2022: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (TLK 01U-75487): Engmaschiges NO2-Sensornetzwerk in München. Role: PI
2020-2021: BaCaTeC-Project (14 [2019-2]): Real-time Urban Emission Maps for Greenhouse Gases Based on Concentration Measurements. Role: PI
2020-2021: United Nations Environmental Programme Project: German Methane Emission Assessment in Urban Regions (German MEASURE). Role: PI
2019-2021: DFG Sachbeihilfe (419317138): Mesoscale Network for Monitoring Greenhouse Gas and Pollutant Emissions. Role: PI
2019: DFG Forschungsgroßgeräte (422614568): Differentielles Säulenmesssystem. Role: PI
2015-2018: NASA: Validation and Application of OCO-2 Data in the Northeastern United State. Role: Co-PI
2013-2016: National Science Foundation (Award #1337512): MRI: Acquisition of Mesoscale Network of Surface Sensors and Solar-tracking Spectrometers. Role: Co-PI

Selected Media Coverage

02/2023
01/2023

Die Zeit: Auf der Suche nach den Klimakiller-Wolken

05/2022 Planet Wissen, ARD-Alpha: Methan – Das unterschätzte Klimagas (Methan in Städten)
03/2022 Gut zu wissen, BR Fernsehen: Die Methanjäger (Our research starts ~ 20 min)
10/2021 Süddeutsche Zeitung: Einzigartiger Sensor misst Treibhausgasemissionen
10/2021 TUM press release: Dr. Markus Söder praises cutting-edge research 'Made in Bavaria'
10/2021 Sat.1: Kampf gegen Klimawandel: Einzigartige Technologie an der TU München
08/2021 Die Zeit: Treibhausgas Methan : Wo ist das Leck?
06/2021 Deutschlandfunk, Forschung aktuell: Forschungsteam misst regionalen Ausstoß von Treibhausgasen
04/2021 Rundschau, BR Fernsehen: Wie klimaschädlich sind unsere Städte?
03/2021 Physics Today: Automating greenhouse gas measurements
06/2020 Urban Climate News (International Association for Urban Climate): How time-limited events such as Oktoberfest contribute to the global CH4 budget
04/2020 American Geophysical Union’s Eos Magazine: Oktoberfest’s Methane Rise Is the Wurst
10/2019: The Guardian: Oktoberfest produces 10 times as much methane as Boston
09/2019: Rundschau, BR Fernsehen: Hohe Methan-Werte auf der Wiesn
09/2019: Deutschlandfunk, Forschung aktuell: Erhöhte Methanwerte auf der Wiesn
09/2019

Der Standard: Beim Oktoberfest wird jede Menge Methan freigesetzt

09/2019: Süddeutsche Zeitung: Schlechte Luft
09/2019: Welt: Forscher messen Methan-Ausstoß in München
09/2019

Münchner Merkur: Moderne Messtechnik auf dem Rathausdach

09/2018: Focus: Erhöhter Methan-Ausstoß in München zur Wiesn-Zeit
09/2018: ZEIT WISSEN: "Jetzt mal ehrlich: Was liegt in der Luft, Frau Chen?" (PDF)
05/2018: Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Detektivarbeit für bessere Luft"
01/2018: Faszination Forschung 150 Jahre TUM: "Carbon Detective"
10/2013: VDE Youtube Channel: “Mobilität der Zukunft”

Teaching:

  • Umweltsensorik und Modellierung
  • Advanced Seminar Environmental Sensing
  • Gemeinschaftspraktikum Electromagnetic Sensors and Measurement Systems
  • Lab Course Innovative Atmospheric Sensing Devices

Additional affiliations: