Skip to main content
construction release_alert
The Scholars Team is working with OIT to resolve some issues with the Scholars search index
cancel

Junfeng Zhang

Professor of Global and Environmental Health
Environmental Sciences and Policy
Box 90328, LSRC A309, 308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708
308 Research Drive, LSRC Room A309, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Dr. Zhang joined the Duke Faculty in fall 2013 from the University of Southern California where he had been a professor of environmental and global health and the director of Environmental and Biomarkers Analysis Laboratory since 2010. His prior positions include professor, department chair, and associate dean at the Rutgers School of Public Health. Dr. Zhang has more than 290 peer-reviewed publications. His work has been featured in major international media such as the Time, the New York Times, BBC, ABC, CBS, Yahoo News, etc. His early work on characterizing sources of non-methane greenhouse gases made him one of the officially recognized contributor to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to IPCC. He is the 2012 recipient of the Jeremy Wesolowski Award, the highest award of the International Society of Exposure Science. He also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Rutgers Graduate School.

Dr. Zhang’s research interests include developing novel biomarkers of human exposure and health effects, assessing health and climate co-benefits of air pollution interventions, and examining biological mechanisms by which environmental exposures exert adverse health effects. Dr. Zhang has led a number of international collaborations to study air pollution health effects and underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms. These studies integrate epidemiological and toxicological approaches into natural experiment designs. He has conducted several indoor air purification intervention studies to evaluate the effectiveness of personal exposure reduction in improving health outcomes in China. Currently, he is conducting intervention trials of residential air purification in older adults with a heart disease history and adults at risk for Type 2 diabetes living in Los Angels where air pollution levels are high. He is co-leading a project to study whether and how particulate matter pollution affects respiratory viral infections in two cities of Mongolia. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Global and Environmental Health · 2013 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment
Chair of the Environmental Sciences and Policy Division · 2022 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment
Research Professor of Global Health · 2013 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2015 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 9, 2020
Bedroom Air Filters Help Asthmatic Children Breathe Easier
Published November 8, 2018
Nine Duke Kunshan Global Health Master’s Students Arrive at Duke
Published December 6, 2017
Air Pollution Cancels Positive Health Effects of Exercise in Older Adults

View All News

Recent Publications


Interactive effects of air pollutants and viral exposure on daily influenza hospital visits in Mongolia.

Journal Article Environ Res · March 1, 2025 BACKGROUND: Air pollution is a well-documented public health hazard linked to various adverse health outcomes. While studies have shown associations between elevated levels of air pollutants and increased influenza incidence, there is a notable knowledge g ... Full text Link to item Cite

HSA Adductomics in the Shanghai Women’s Health Study Links Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers with Air Pollution, Redox Biology, and One-Carbon Metabolism

Journal Article Antioxidants · March 1, 2025 Nearly one fourth of lung cancers occur among never-smokers and are predominately lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) that are distinct from smoking-related cancers. Causal links between LUADs in never-smokers have been attributed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) ... Full text Cite

Identifying predictors of spatiotemporal variations in residential radon concentrations across North Carolina using machine learning analytics.

Journal Article Environ Pollut · February 15, 2025 Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas derived from the decay of uranium in the Earth's crust. Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the US. Radon infiltrates homes through soil and building foundations. This study ... Full text Link to item Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029

Molecular Mechanisms for Resolving Air Pollution Induced Pulmonary Inflammation: Potential Differences by Asthma and Sex (RAPIDAS)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2023 - 2028

Mediators of Inflammation Resolution in Air Pollution's Cardio-metabolic Effects (MIRACLE)

ResearchMentor · Awarded by American Heart Association · 2025 - 2028

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


Rutgers University · 1994 Ph.D.