Early career researcher Zezhen “Jay” Cheng named outstanding peer reviewer for society journal
Editor’s note: The original version of this article was published on the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory website.
Zezhen “Jay” Cheng, a chemist with the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) in Washington state, recently received recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry for his contributions as a peer reviewer.
Cheng was named a 2023 Environmental Science: Atmospheres Outstanding Peer Reviewer. The annual award honors peer reviewers who have gone above and beyond. He was one of eight reviewers publicly recognized in the category.
In January 2023, Cheng was invited to become a peer reviewer for the Royal Society of Chemistry. He was selected for the role based on his expertise in atmospheric research, which includes work associated with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility.
Cheng specializes in using online instruments and offline high-resolution microscopy techniques to understand aerosols’ physical, chemical, and optical properties and their climate impacts. He began his career in atmospheric research at EMSL in 2020, first as a postdoctoral researcher before transitioning into his role as a research scientist in 2023. His work often connects activities within EMSL and ARM, which are both U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facilities.
Childhood Interest Carries Into Adulthood
“I enjoy reading different studies and helping authors improve their work so that it has a higher impact.”
Air quality in Cheng’s hometown is ultimately what led him to his interest in atmospheric science.
“When I was a kid, I saw the air quality in my hometown get worse and worse,” he says. “At first, there was no haze, but then there was more and more haze. This motivated me to study air pollution, especially those tiny particles that cause great issues for the environment.”
Cheng says he is honored to receive the award from the Royal Society of Chemistry, especially for an area of science that has interested him since he was a child. A good reviewer, he says, helps maintain the high quality of manuscripts and journals. In addition, he says they can help authors improve their manuscripts and provide direction or guidance for future studies.
“I enjoy reading different studies and helping authors improve their work so that it has a higher impact,” says Cheng. “This is the first time I have had such a high-level award. I look forward to continuously maintaining such high-level standards when I review other papers.”
ARM-EMSL Connections
Cheng has used ARM data since he joined Swarup China’s Terrestrial-Atmospheric Processes Integrated Research Platform team at EMSL about four years ago. His work has included research supported by DOE’s Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program.
He was also heavily involved in the development of an instrument called the automated Size and Time-resolved Aerosol Collector (STAC). In addition to collecting aerosol samples, the STAC platform is integrated with environmental sensors to monitor temperature, relative humidity, and pressure. Cheng led a 2022 paper describing the STAC platform.
Now, Cheng contributes to STAC upgrades and maintenance while helping to analyze samples and data from the instrument. The STAC has flown as part of ARM tethered balloon system deployments in Alaska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas.
During an EMSL webinar in May 2024, Cheng presented on aerosol collection during flights of ARM’s ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system and how those samples can be analyzed.
“At least half of my work is related to ARM data and resources,” says Cheng. “Using ARM data helps me in my research and career. Our group also works closely with ARM by supporting the ARM and EMSL FICUS (Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science) program, which provides great opportunities for scientists to utilize both user facilities to achieve their scientific goals.”
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# # #ARM is a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by nine DOE national laboratories.