Ph.D., Public Affairs, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2013-2018

M.S., Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,                  2008-2011

B.S., Environmental Science, Wuhan University of Technology,  2004-2008

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China-UK Low Carbon College                   2021-        Assistant Professor

Princeton University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering  2019-2021 Post-doctoral Research Associate & Associate Research Scholar

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Humphrey School of Public Affairs     2018-2019 Post-doctoral Research Associate

My research group is recruiting 1 Master's student in 2023. Students with an education background in Environmental Sciences, Urban Ecology, or related majors are welcome. Students with big data analysis, spatial data analysis, and remote sensing skills are preferred. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

• Multi-level urban carbon accounting
• Urban carbon mitigation strategies analysis
• Social-environmental impact assessment of urban energy systems
• Urban energy infrastructure transition pathways

1. NSF. PIRE: Developing Low-Carbon Cities in the US, China, and India Through Integration Across Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences, and Public Health. $4.45 million. 2012-2018. Main researcher
2. NSF. SRN: Integrated Urban Infrastructure Solutions for Environmentally Sustainable, Healthy and Livable Cities. $12 million. 2015-2022. Main researcher
3. NSF. S&CC: Connecting the Smart-City Paradigm with a Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Systems Framework to Advance Equity in Communities. $2.5 million. 2017-2021. Researcher

Journal Articles

1. Joe F. Bozeman III*, Shauhrat S. CHOPRA, Philip James, SAJJAD Muhammad, Hua Cai, Kangkang Tong, Maya Carrasquillo, Harold Rickenbacker, Destenie Nock, Weslynne Ashton, Oliver Heidrich, Sybil Derrible, and Melissa Bilec. Three research priorities for just and sustainable urban systems: now is the time to refocus. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2022 (Accepted)
2. Nagpure, A. S.; Tong, K.; Ramaswami, A*. Socially-differentiated urban metabolism methodology informs equity in coupled carbon-air pollution mitigation strategies: Insights from three Indian cities. Environmental Research Letters. 2022. (In print). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac881e

3. Zhang, C.; Zhai, H.*; Cao, L.; Li, X.; Cheng, F.; Peng, L.; Tong, K.; Meng, J.*; Yang, Y.; Wang, X.*. Understanding the complexity of existing fossil fuel power plant decarbonization. iScience. 2022. 25, 8, 104758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104758

4. Tong, K.* Net-zero-carbon urban transitions need systems thinking. (Voices: "Opportunities and barriers to net-zero cities"). One Earth. 2022. 5(7), 739-744. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.06.013

5. Lal, M. R.*, Tibrewal, K., Venkataraman, C., Tong, K., Fang A., Ma, Q., Wang, S., Kaiser, J., Ramaswami, A., Russell, A. G.. Impact of Circular, Waste-Heat Reuse Pathways on PM_2.5-Air Quality, CO₂ Emissions, and Human Health in India: Comparison with Material Exchange Potential. Environmental Science & Technology. 2022. 56 (13), 9773-9783. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05897

6. Clark, P. L., Tabory, S., Tong, K., Servadio, J. L., Kappler, K., Xu, K., Lawal, A. S., Wiringa, P., Kne, L., Feiock, R., Marshall, J. D., Russell, A. G., Ramaswami. A.*.  A data framework for assessing social inequality and equity in multi‐sector social, ecological, infrastructural urban systems: Focus on fine‐spatial scales. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2022. 26 (1), 145-163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13222

7. Tong, K., Ramaswami, A.*, Xu, K., Feiock, R., Schmitz, P., Ohlsen M. Measuring social equity in urban energy use and interventions using fine-scale data. PNAS. 2021. 118 (24) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023554118

8. Ramaswami. A.*, Tong, K., Canadell J., Jackson. R., Stokes, E. Dhakal S., Finch. M., Jittrapirom P., Singh. N., Yamagata Y., Yewdall E., Yona L., Seto, K.. Carbon analytics for net-zero emissions sustainable cities. Nature Sustainability. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00715-5

9. Tong, K., Nagpure, A., Ramaswami A.*. All urban areas’ energy use data across 640 districts in India for the year 2011. Scientific Data. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00853-7

10. Tong, K.*, Ramaswami. A., Feiock, R. Environmentally Sustainable Transitions of US District Energy Systems: Perspectives from Infrastructure Operators/Designers through the Co-evolutionary Lens. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020. 268: 121894. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121894

11. Tong, K.*, Zhao, Z., Feiock, R., Ramaswami, A.. Patterns of Urban Infrastructure Capital Investment in Chinese Cities and Explanation through a Political Market Lens. Journal of Urban Affairs. 2019. 41 (2), 248-263. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2018.1499417

12. Tong, K.*, Fang, A., Li, Y., Shi, L., Wang, Y., Wang, S., Ramaswami, A*. The Collective Contribution of Chinese Cities to Territorial and Electricity-related CO₂ Emissions. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018. 189: 910-921. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.037

13. Ramaswami. A.*, Jiang, D., Tong, K., Zhao, Z., Impact of the Economic Structure of Cities on Urban Scaling Factors: Implications for Urban Material and Energy Flows in China. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2018. 22 (2), 392-405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12563

14. Tong, K., Fang, A., Yu, H., Li, Y., Shi, L.*, Wang, S., Ramaswami, A.*. Estimating the Potential for Industrial Waste Heat Reutilization in Urban District Energy Systems: Method Development and Implementation in Two Chinese Provinces. Environmental Research Letters. 2017. 12(12): 125008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8a17

15. Ramaswami. A.*, Tong, K., Fang, A., Lal, R., Nagpure, A., Li, Y., Yu, H., Jiang, D., Russell, A., Shi, L., Chertow, M., Wang, Y., Wang, S.. Urban Cross-sector Actions for Carbon Mitigation with Local Health Co-benefits in China. Nature Climate Change. 2017. 7: 736–742. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3373

16. Tong, K., Fang, A., Boyer, D., Hu, Y., Cui, S., Shi, L., Kalmykova, Y., and Ramaswami, A.*. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Key Infrastructure Sectors in Larger and Smaller Chinese Cities: Method Development and Benchmarking. Carbon Management, 2016, 7(1-2): 27-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2016.1165354 

Book Chapters

1. Tong, K., Ramaswami, A. Chapter 10: Urban Environments and Trans-boundary Linkages: in Poulter, B., Canadell, P., Hayes, D., Thompson, R. (Ed). Balancing Regional Greenhouse Gas Budgets. Elsevier. 2022. P337-374 

Report

1. World Economic Forum. 2022. Delivering ClimateResilient Cities Using a Systems Approach (Insight Report). https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_C4IR_GFC_on_Cities_Climate_Resilience_2022.pdf

Fall 2022. Instructor. ENVR8165: Infrastructure for net-zero carbon cities (Graduate-level). Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Fall 2020. Assistant in Instruction. Sustainable Cities in the US and India: Technology & Policy Pathways (Undergraduate-level). Princeton University

Fall 2016. Instructor. Material and Energy Flows for a Sustainable Society (Graduate-level). University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Fellow in World Economic Forum Global Future Council-Cities of Tomorrow                                        2020-2022

Board Member in International Society for Industrial Ecology's Sustainable Urban Systems Section    2021-

Young Editorial Board Member. Carbon Neutrality

Guest Editor. Resources, Conservation & Recycling. Special Issue "Reshaping urban infrastructure for a carbon-neutral and sustainable future"

Outreach Editor. Journal of Industrial Ecology

Referees of Academic Journals: Nature Communications; Applied Energy; Environmental Science & Technology; Carbon Balance and Management; Journal of Cleaner Production; Ecological Economics; Journal of Industrial Ecology; Resources, Conservation & Recycling; Science of the Total Environment; etc.

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Minnesota    2017.09-2018.05