Dr. Mei Bai
Post Doctoral researcher - Theme 4
Dr. Mei Bai is a Research Fellow in Micrometeorological Science, developing advanced field measurement techniques to quantify and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at large scale. Mei Bai’s research addresses critical environmental challenges in agricultural and industrial sectors, with a focus on GHG mitigation and improving environmental sustainability through evidence-based approaches.
Mei Bai obtained her PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry at University of Wollongong, with the PhD thesis titled “Methane emissions form livestock measured by novel spectroscopic techniques”. After completing her PhD studies, Mei worked at CSIRO Livestock Industries before joining the University of Melbourne Environment and Soil Research Group. Since then, Mei has been working on several large projects led by Professor Deli Chen to quantify GHG emissions at large-scale agricultural systems, including grazing dairy farms, cropping systems, and cattle feedlots, as well as industrial sector wastewater treatment plants. Mei is one of few experts in Australia in quantifying real-time multiple-gas emissions (N2O, NH3, CH4, CO2) at large scale, using open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques (OP-FTIR). The methodologies that Mei developed now inform national GHG inventories and support net-zero emissions policies. Her research contributions to atmospheric science, have been published in journals: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology; Environmental Science and Technology Letters; Journal of Environmental Quality; Atmospheric Measurement Techniques; Environmental Pollution; Scientific Report; Nature Communication. With the ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers (Theme 4), Mei will design and implement field experiments to measure how nitrogen inhibitors affect NH₃ and N₂O emissions (i.e., nitrogen loss by volatilisation) after urea application in sugarcane plantations.