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Ning Ai, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor, Institute for Environmental Science and Policy
Assistant Professor, Urban Planning and Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
412 South Peoria Street
256 CUPPAH, MC 348
Phone: 312-413-9786
Email: ain@uic.edu
Ph.D., Georgia Institue of Technology, August 2011
Master in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 2003
B.A. in Environmental Economics & Natural Resource Management, Renmin (People's) University of China, July 2001
B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Tsinghua University, July 2001
Dr. Ai is the most recent addition to the faculty of the Institute. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy and a Research Assistant Professor in the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy.
Dr. Ai's research and teaching interests focus on urban environmental planning and its integration with land use, industrial ecology, and sustainable economic development. Most recently, she was engaged in the socioeconomic and spatial analysis of material and waste management, with a focus on electronic waste, post-consumer carpet, and municipal solid waste. Currently, Dr. Ai serves as the Secretary of the Waste Management Technical Coordinating Committees of the Air & Waste Management Association (2009-2012).
Dr. Ai has worked for the World Bank, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., and the Georgia State Department of Natural Resources. Her previous work experiences include the application of GIS in environmental protection, urban and environmental indicators, and the socioeconomic impact analysis of natural disasters.
Dr. Ai is excited about the prospect of contributing to the interdisciplinary research at the IESP and helping expand the international collaborations in both research and education. Dr. Ai plans to continue her research on multi-disciplinary models, tools, and theories that can be applicable in urban sustainability analysis. She is particularly interested in exploring strategies that may reduce the footprint of urban growth and seeking the synergies among economic, environment, and social systems. Dr. Ai will be also involved in developing a new course, Systems Methods for Environmental Policy, tentatively scheduled to be offered in Spring 2012.