Shaohui Zhang
Senior Research Scholar
Pollution Management Research Group
Energy, Climate, and Environment Program
Biography
Shaohui Zhang is a senior research scholar in the Pollution Management Research Group of the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program. In his current role, he leads and coordinates the data quality assessment of the GAINS model and oversees model coupling between GAINS and other integrated assessment models (IAMs). His research interests focus on the development and application of the GAINS and MESSAGEix integrated assessment models, low carbon transition analysis, technology and policy assessment for energy, climate, and environmental pollution, as well as cost-benefit analysis.Zhang received his PhD from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, Netherlands, following the completion of a master’s degree at Zhengzhou University, China. He first visited IIASA in 2013 as a research assistant in the former IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases (AIR) Program and returned to the Institute in November 2016 as a postdoctoral research scholar associated with the former AIR and Energy programs.
He has been actively involved in teaching, offering courses such as Energy and Resource System Analysis and Energy System Modeling at the master's and PhD levels while working at Beihang University as an associate professor for energy and environment. He has also supervised numerous PhD students as part of the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP), focusing on decarbonization strategies, air quality improvement, and energy efficiency across the globe.
Zhang has led several impactful research projects funded by prestigious organizations such as the World Bank, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Climate Imperative Foundation. His work has been recognized with awards, for example, he is a co-recipient of the Frontiers Planet Prize 2023.
Currently, he serves as a lead author of the China Lancet Countdown reports (chapter 3), a lead author for 2027 IPCC report (Vol.3 IPPU), and a co-developer of the China Carbon Neutrality Technology Database (CNTD). He is also a member of various committees, including the China Air Pollution Abatement Climate Mitigation Committee and the International Ecological Economy Promotion Association.
Last update: 16 FEB 2026
Publications
Lu, C., Huang, Y., Yu, Y., Hu, J., Mo, H., Li, Y., Huo, D., Song, X., Huang, X., Sun, Y., Liu, K., Zhang, S. , Morrissey, K., Hong, J., Deng, Z., Du, Z., Creutzig, F., & Liu, Z. (2024). Health co-benefits of post-COVID-19 low-carbon recovery in Chinese cities. Nature Cities 1 (10) 695-705. 10.1038/s44284-024-00115-8.
Yue, H., Worrell, E., Crijns-Graus, W., Wagner, F. , Zhang, S. , & Hu, J. (2024). Air Quality and Health Implications of Coal Power Retirements Attributed to Industrial Electricity Savings in China. Environmental Science & Technology 58 (21) 9187-9199. 10.1021/acs.est.3c09517.
IEA (2024). World Energy Outlook 2024. International Energy Agency
Meng, W., Kiesewetter, G. , Zhang, S. , Schöpp, W. , Rafaj, P. , Klimont, Z. , & Tao, S. (2023). Costs and Benefits of Household Fuel Policies and Alternative Strategies in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region. Environmental Science & Technology 57 (51) 21662-21672. 10.1021/acs.est.3c01622.
Chen, S., Lu, X., Nielsen, C., McElroy, M., He, G., Zhang, S. , He, K., Yang, X., Zhang, F., & Hao, J. (2023). Deploying solar photovoltaic energy first in carbon-intensive regions brings gigatons more carbon mitigations to 2060. Communications Earth & Environment 4 (1) e369. 10.1038/s43247-023-01006-x.