Yafang Cheng appointed new director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

A hallmark of Yafang Cheng’s scientific approach is the seamless integration of field observations, instrument development, laboratory experiments, model simulations and machine learning to identify scientific key questions, test hypotheses, and advance theory. This approach further advances the Institute’s focus and strength in Earth System Chemistry, and it makes full use of the available research platforms and resources, including the HALO research aircraft, other high-tech workshops and laboratories, and high-performance computing facilities.

Integrative research approach 

“I feel deeply honored to be a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, which are globally renowned for their important role in the development of chemistry, physics, and Earth system sciences, excellence in research, and steadfast commitment to scientific freedom,” says Yafang Cheng. “I look forward to collaborating with the exceptional colleagues here as we continue to push the boundaries of science.”
Professor Cheng has made transformative contributions and fundamental advances in understanding atmospheric aerosols and their impact on air quality and climate. Her work uncovered the role of aerosol water and reactive nitrogen chemistry in severe haze formation, developed a new buffer theory to unravel and quantify the key determinants of aerosol acidity, introduced particle size as a new dimension in phase diagrams of aerosol nanoparticles, and elucidated how black carbon and wildfires interact with planetary boundary layer development, cloud formation, and large-scale circulation. 

Pioneering contributions to aerosol research 

After her doctoral studies in environmental sciences at Peking University (PKU) in Beijing, China, Yafang Cheng worked as a scientific researcher and faculty member at the Tropospheric Research Institute (TROPOS) in Leipzig, Germany, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, USA, and at PKU. In 2012, she joined the MPI for Chemistry as a visiting scientist and then became leader of the independent Minerva research group “Aerosols, Air Quality & Climate” (https://www.mpic.de/3599133/Profile_Y_Cheng).

Yafang Cheng’s work and ideas are widely recognized by internationally prestigious awards and honors, including the Joanne Simpson Medal and Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Award by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Top 10 Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2021 in Physical Sciences by the Falling Walls Foundation, and the Schmauss Award by the German Association for Aerosol Research. She is also an elected Member of the Academia Europaea, a Fellow of the AGU and American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Editor-in-Chief of the AGU flagship journal JGR Atmospheres.

“We are very pleased and excited to have Yafang Cheng joining our board of directors,” says Managing Director Jos Lelieveld. “Yafang Cheng is an exceptionally creative scientist with a broad interest in physical-chemical aerosol research and a remarkable talent to identify, address and resolve fundamental scientific questions of high societal interest. She is expected to substantially impact the future directions of aerosol science and Earth system chemistry.”

Professor Cheng is the first female director at the MPI for Chemistry. As female Scientific Member, she succeeds Lise Meitner, the famous physicist and co-discoverer of nuclear fission who became the first female Scientific Member of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the predecessor organization of the Max Planck Society, 111 years ago in 1913. Other prominent researchers of the Institute include the Nobel laureates Richard Willstätter, Otto Hahn, and Paul J. Crutzen (https://www.mpic.de/3537786/Overview).