Faculty Profile

Tian Xia

Tian Xia, Ph.D.

  • Research Investigator, Environmental Health Sciences
  • Dr. Xia acquired his Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering at Prof. Herek Clack’s laboratory in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan. His dissertation research is mainly on the in-flow airborne virus inactivation by non-thermal plasma (NTP). After graduation he joined Prof. Stuart Batterman’s laboratory in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan. In EHS, he focused his research on mobile and indoor air quality monitoring in environmental justice (EJ) communities in Detroit, and participated in four university-led and government-led public health projects on air quality, namely the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) Air Quality Monitoring project, Michigan–Ontario Ozone Source Experiment (MOOSE), the Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments (CAPHE), and the Michigan-Ohio Occupational Research Education (MOORE) Program. As an exposure scientist and environmental engineer, his research is focused on the measurement, control, exposure assessment, and human health impact analysis of gaseous and particulate air pollutants in both outdoor and indoor environments, particularly within EJ communities.

  • 2013 – 2018 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
    Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, August 2018 Dissertation Title: Aerosols and Electrical Discharge: 1. Examination of
    Potential Climate Impact of Mercury Control in Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs); 2. Instantaneous Bioaerosol Inactivation by Non-Thermal Plasma Dissertation Committee Members: Herek L. Clack, J. Tim Dvonch, Christian M. Lastoskie, Krista R. Wigginton.
  • 2009 – 2013 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. BSc (First Honor) in Environment & Sustainable Development, May 2013.

Dr. Xias research interests focus on investigating the concentrations, sources, and dispersion of air pollutants in southwest Detroit, evaluating the impacts of ambient and indoor air pollution on human health outcomes, and developing effective mitigation methods and communication tools for underserved communities facing air pollution challenges.
Projects:

1. Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) Air Quality Monitoring. The overall goal of the GHIB Air Quality Monitoring project is to characterize air quality, exposure, and impacts associated with activity around the GHIB bridge

2. School Indoor Air Project (ScIP), a component of the Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments (CAPHE) project. This community-based participatory research study was designed to assess aspects of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) at schools in Detroit

3. Reducing Exposure to Air Pollutants: Case Study Detroit (RETAP-Detroit). Pending. The overarching objective of the proposed project is to equip underserved communities with
science-based information, tools and strategies that utilize air quality and other environmental data to facilitate decision-making on community-identified air pollution concerns.

  • Xia, T., J. Raneses, B. Schmiesing, R. Garcia, A. Walding, R. DeMajo, A. Schulz & Batterman, S. A. (2024). How teacher behaviors and perceptions, air change rates, and
    portable air purifiers affect indoor air quality in naturally ventilated schools. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1427116.
  • Gearhart, J., S. Sagovac, T. Xia, M.K. Islam, A. Shim, S.H. Seo, M.C. Sargent, N.R. Sampson, J. Napieralski, I. Danielson, and S. Batterman, (2023). Fugitive Dust
    Associated with Scrap Metal Processing. Environments, 10(12), p.223.
  • Xia, T., S.G. Borjigin, J. Raneses, C.A., Stroud, S.A. Batterman (2023). Mobile measurements of atmospheric methane at eight large landfills: An assessment of temporal
    and spatial variability. Atmosphere, 14(6), 906.
  • Xia, T., J. Raneses, S. Batterman (2022). Improving the Performance of Pipeline Leak Detection Algorithms for the Mobile Monitoring of Methane Leaks. Atmosphere, 13(7), 1043.
  • Olaguer, E.P., S. Jeltema, T. Gauthier, D. Jermalowicz, A. Ostaszewski, S. Batterman, T. Xia, J. Raneses, M. Kovalchick, S. Miller, J. Acevedo, J. Lamb, J. Benya, A. Wendling, and J. Zhu (2022). Landfill Emissions of Methane Inferred from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Mobile Ground Measurements. Atmosphere, 13(6), 983.
  • Batterman, S., S.C. Warner, T. Xia, S. Sagovac, B. Roberts, B. Vial, and C. Godwin (2021). A community noise survey in Southwest Detroit and the value of supplemental
    metrics for truck noise. Environmental Research, 111064.
  • Xia, T., J. Catalan, C. Hu, and S. Batterman (2021). Development of a mobile platform for monitoring gaseous, particulate, and greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutants. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193(1), 1-22.
  • Xia, T., M. Yang, I. Marabella, E.M. Lee, B. Olson, D. Zarling, H. L. Clack (2020). Inactivation of Airborne Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSv)
    by a Packed Bed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Non-Thermal Plasma. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 393, 122266.
  • Xia, T., A. Kleinheksel, E.M. Lee, Z. Qiao, K.R. Wigginton, and H.L. Clack (2019). Inactivation of Airborne Viruses Using a Packed Bed Non-thermal Plasma Reactor. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 52, 255201, DOI: 10.1088/1361 6463/ab1466.
  • Xia, T., H. L. Clack (2017). Optical Property Measurements of Mixed Coal Fly Ash and Particulate Carbon Aerosols Likely Emitted during Activated Carbon Injection for
    Mercury Emissions Control. Energy & Fuels, 31(11), 11793-11801.

M6075 SPH II, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Phone: (734) 680-7921
E-mail: [email protected]

For media inquiries: [email protected] 

Areas of Expertise: Air Quality,  Community-Based Participatory Research,  Environmental Health,  Environmental Justice,  Urban Health