Yifang Zhu, PhD '03

Yifang Zhu is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and previously served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Dr. Zhu is an internationally recognized expert in air pollution, climate change, environmental exposure assessment, and aerosol science and technology.

Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on understanding air pollutant exposures across microenvironments and developing strategies to protect public health. Her work has addressed traffic-related air pollution, wildfire smoke, indoor air quality, electronic cigarette aerosols, and the health implications of clean transportation and energy transitions. Her current research includes studies on environmental exposures following the 2025 Los Angeles urban wildfires, indoor air quality and environmental justice in California, equitable electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the health impacts of electronic cigarette aerosols.

Dr. Zhu has led numerous federally and state-supported research projects. She is also co-author of the third edition of Aerosol Technology: Properties, Behavior, and Measurement of Airborne Particles and has published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals, including Nature Sustainability, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Environmental Science & Technology, Environment International, BMJ, and Annual Review of Public Health.

Her honors include the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Health Effects Institute Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, the Haagen-Smit Prize, and selection as the 51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecturer at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Dr. Zhu earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University in 1997 and her Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 2003.

In 2026, Dr. Zhu was inducted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Hall of Fame and received the Hall of Fame Award.