Assistant Professor Tian received his B.S. (2011) in geophysics from University of Science and Technology of China, and Ph. D. (2017) in planetary science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He did research work as a postdoc in University of California, Santa Cruz from 2017 to 2019, and joined SUSTech in 2020. Tian has done research in various fields of planetary science, including planetary dynamo and magnetic field generation, orbital evolution, and thermal evolution of planetary bodies. He has authored or co-authored 5 scientific papers in academic journals, such as Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of USA, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Icarus.
Education Background
2017 Doctor in Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2011 Bachelor in Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China.
Work Experience
2020- Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology
2017-2019 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Research
Planetary science and celestial dynamics. Research interests include
1. orbital and thermal evolution of the early Earth-Moon system;
2. orbital resonances among satellites of gas giants;
3. planetary migration and dynamical processes of the early Solar system;
4. dynamo processes in planetary interiors.
Publications
1. Z. Tian, J. Wisdom, Vertical angular momentum constraint on lunar formation and orbital history. PNAS 117, 15460-15464, 2020. doi:10.1073/pnas.2003496117
2. Z. Tian, F. Nimmo, Implications of second-order resonance for the thermal and orbital evolution of Mimas. MNRAS 492, 369-376, 2020. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3427
3. Z. Tian, J. Wisdom, L. Elkins-Tanton, Coupled orbital-thermal evolution of the early Earth-Moon system with a fast-spinning Earth. Icarus 281, 90-102, 2017. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.030
4. Z. Tian, M. T. Zuber, S. Stanley, Magnetic field modeling for Mercury using dynamo models with a stable layer and laterally variable heat flux. Icarus 260, 263-268, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.07.019
5. J. Wisdom, Z. Tian, Early evolution of the Earth–Moon system with a fast-spinning Earth. Icarus 256, 138-146, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.02.025
