Faculty
Professor Fan received his B.S. degree in Space Science and Technology at Peking University in 2015, and his Ph.D. degree in Planetary Science at California Institute of Technology in 2020. He then worked as a Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Postdoctoral Scholar at Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. In 2022, he received the NSFC National Natural Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists (Overseas), and joined Southern University of Science and Technology in the summer of 2023. Prof. Fan’s research focuses on the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere, specifically the physical processes and the coupling among them, using observations (e.g., Trace Gas Orbiter and Emirate Mars Mission) and General Circulation models (e.g., Mars Planetary Climate Model). His research also includes the photochemistry and microphysical processes in chemically reducing planetary atmospheres (e.g., Pluto and Titan), and baseline analysis and inversion of single-point light curves of Earth-like exoplanets.
EDUCATION BACKGROUND
07/2015 Peking University
B.S. in Space Science and Technology
06/2017 California Institute of Technology
M.S. in Planetary Science
11/2020 California Institute of Technology
Ph.D. in Planetary Science
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Planetary atmospheres (Mars, Titan, Pluto), benchmark of exoplanet observations
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
02/2013-07/2015 Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China (Undergraduate student)
07/2014-10/2014 High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA (Visiting student)
07/2015-01/2021 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA (Graduate student)
02/2021-07/2023 Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France (Postdoctoral scholar)
08/2023-present Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Associate Professor)
AWARDS/HONORS/SCHOLARSHIPS/MEMBERSHIP
11/2023 Xie Yibing Young Scientist Award in Meteorological Science and Technology
10/2022 Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship
06/2020 CSC Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad
04/2018 Phi Tau Phi Scholarship
04/2017 CESASC Scholarship
First- and/or corresponding-authored
[11] Zhang, A., Yang, J., Luo, Y., and Fan, S. (2023) Forecasting the Progression of Human Civilization on the Kardashev Scale Through 2060 with a Random Forest Approach. Scientific Reports, 13, 11305. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-38351-y
[10] Fan, S., Forget, F., Smith, M. D., Guerlet, S., Badri, K. M., Atwood, S. A., Young, R. M. B., Edwards, C. S., Christensen, P. R., Deighan, J., Al Matroushi, H. R., Bierjon, A., Liu, J., and Millour, E. (2022) Migrating Thermal Tides in the Martian Atmosphere during Aphelion Season Observed by EMM/EMIRS. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2022GL099494. doi:10.1029/2022GL099494
[9] Fan, S., Zhao, D., Li, C., Shemansky, D. E., Liang, M. -C., and Yung, Y. L. (2022) Seasonal variations of chemical species and haze in Titan’s upper atmosphere. The Planetary Science Journal, 3, 130. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac6953
[8] Fan, S., Guerlet, S., Forget, F., Bierjon, A., Millour, E., Ignatiev, N., Shakun, A., Grigoriev, A., Trokhimovskiy, A., Montmessin, F., and Korablev, O. (2022). Thermal Tides in Martian Atmosphere near Northern Summer Solstice Observed by ACS/TIRVIM onboard TGO. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL097130. doi:10.1029/2021GL097130
[7] Fan, S., Gao, P., Zhang, X., Adams, D. J., Kutsop, N. W., Bierson, C. J., Liu, C., Yang, J., Young, L. A., Cheng, A. F., and Yung, Y. L. (2022). A Bimodal Distribution of Haze in Pluto's Atmosphere. Nature Communications, 13, 240. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-27811-6
[6] Gu, L., Fan, S., Li, J. -Z., Bartlett, S. J., Natraj, V., Jiang, J. H., Crisp, D., Hu, Y., Tinetti, G., and Yung, Y. L. (2021). Earth as a Proxy Exoplanet: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Spectral Images. The Astronomical Journal, 161, 122. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/abd54a
[5] Fan, S., and Yung, Y. L. (2020). Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 159, e60951. doi:10.3791/60951
[4] Fan, S., Li, C., Li, J. -Z., Bartlett, S. J., Jiang, J. H., Natraj, V., Crisp, D., and Yung, Y. L. (2019). Earth as an Exoplanet: A Two-dimensional Alien Map. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 882, L1. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab3a49
[3] Fan, S., Shemansky, D. E., Li, C., Gao, P., Wan., L., and Yung Y. L. (2019). Retrievals of Abundances of Hydrocarbons and Nitrile Species in Titan’s upper Atmosphere. Earth and Space Science, 6, 1057. doi:10.1029/2018EA000477
[2] Fan, S., He, J., Yan, L., Tomczyk, S., Tian, H., Song, H., Wang, L., and Zhang, L. (2018). Turbulence and Heating in the Flank and Wake Regions of a Coronal Mass Ejection. Solar Physics, 293, 6. doi:10.1007/s11207-017-1221-1
[1] Fan, S., and Batygin, K. (2017). Simulations of the Solar System's Early Dynamical Evolution with a Self-gravitating Planetesimal Disk. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 851, L37. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa9f0b
Co-authored
[13] Guerlet, S., Fan, S., Forget, F., Ignatiev, N., Millour, E., Kleinb?hl, A., Shakun, A., Grigoriev, A., Trokhimovskiy, A., Montmessin, F., and Korablev, O. (2023) Thermal Tides on Mars Before and During the 2018 Global Dust Event as Observed by TIRVIM-ACS Onboard ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128, e2023JE007851. doi:10.1029/2023JE007851
[12] Liu J., Millour, E., Forget, F., Gilli, G., Lott, F., Bardet, D., Galindo, F. G., Bierjon, A., Naar, J., Martinez, A., Lebonnois, S., Fan, S., Pierron, T., and Vandemeulebrouck, R. (2023). A Surface to Exosphere Non-orographic Gravity Wave Parameterization for the Mars Planetary Climate Model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128, e2023JE007769. doi:10.1029/2023JE007769
[11] Wang, J., Fan, S., Liu, C., Natraj, V., Young, L. A., and Yung, Y. L. (2023). Impacts of Organic Ice Condensation on the Optical Properties of Haze on Pluto. The Planetary Science Journal, 4, 17. doi:10.3847/PSJ/acaf30
[10] Natraj, V., Spurr, R., Gao, A., Le, T., Zeng, Z.-C., Fan, S., and Yung, Y. L. (2022). The 2 Stream-Exact Single Scattering (2S-ESS) Radiative Transfer Model. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 295, 108416. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2022.108416
[9] Gu, L., Zeng, Z. -C., Fan, S., Natraj, V., Jiang, J. H., Crisp, D., Yung, Y. L., and Hu, Y. (2022). Earth as a Proxy Exoplanet: Simulating DSCOVR/EPIC Observations Using the Earth Spectrum Simulator (ESS). The Astronomical Journal, 163, 285. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac5e2e
[8] Guerlet, S., Ignatiev, N., Forget, F., Fouchet, T., Vlasov, P., Bergeron, G., Young, R. M. B., Millour, E., Fan, S., Tran, H., Shakun A., Grigoriev, A., Trokhimovskiy, A., Montmessin, F., and Korablev, O. (2022). Thermal Structure and Aerosols in Mars’ Atmosphere from TIRVIM/ACS onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter: Validation of the Retrieval Algorithm. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 127, e2021JE007062. doi:10.1029/2021JE007062
[7] Bartlett, S. J., Li, J. -Z., Gu, L., Sinapayen, L., Fan, S., Natraj, V., Jiang, J. H., Crisp, D., and Yung, Y. L. (2022). Assessing Planetary Complexity and Agnostic Biosignatures Using Epsilon Machines. Nature Astronomy, 6, 387. doi:10.1038/s41550-021-01559-x
[6] Kutsop, N. W., Hayes, A. G., Buratti, B. J., Corlies, P. M., Ennico, K., Fan, S., Gladstone, R., Helfenstein, P., Hofgartner, J. D., Hicks, M., Lemmon, M., Lunine, J. I., Moore, J., Olkin, C. B., Parker, A. H., Stern, S. A., Weaver, H. A., Young, L. A., and The New Horizons Science Team (2021). Pluto's Haze Abundance and Size Distribution from Limb Scatter Observations by MVIC. The Planetary Science Journal, 2, 91. doi:10.3847/PSJ/abdcaf
[5] Aizawa, M., Kawahara, H., and Fan, S. (2020). Global Mapping of an Exo-Earth Using Sparse Modeling. The Astrophysical Journal, 896, 22. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab8d30
[4] Yung, Y. L., Long, J., Jiang, J. H., Fan, S., Jiang, X., and Shia, R. -L. (2019). Effect of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation on Carbon Monoxide in the Stratosphere. Earth and Space Science, 6, 1273. doi:10.1029/2018EA000534
[3] Li, J. -Z., Fan, S., Kopparla, P., Liu, C., Jiang, J. H., Natraj, V., and Yung, Y. L. (2019). Study of Terrestrial Glints Based on DSCOVR Observations. Earth and Space Science, 6, 166. doi:10.1029/2018EA000509
[2] Gao, P., Fan, S., Wong, M. L., Liang, M. -C., Shia, R. -L., Kammer, J. A., Yung, Y. L., Summers, M. E., Gladstone., G. R., Young, L. A., Olkin, C. B., Ennico, K., Weaver, H. A., Stern, S. A., and the New Horizons Science Team (2017). Constraints on the Microphysics of Pluto’s Photochemical Haze from New Horizons Observations. Icarus, 287, 116. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.09.030
[1] Wong, M. L., Fan, S., Gao, P., Liang, M. -C., Shia, R. -L., Kammer, J. A., Yung, Y. L., Summers, M. E., Gladstone., G. R., Young, L. A., Olkin, C. B., Ennico, K., Weaver, H. A., Stern, S. A., and the New Horizons Science Team (2017). The Photochemistry of Pluto’s Atmosphere as Illuminated by New Horizons. Icarus, 287, 110. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.09.028