Dr Tan Zou

Dr Tan Zou is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Her research focuses on the management of key agricultural nutrients—phosphorus and nitrogen—across regional and global food systems, with the objective of improving nutrient use efficiency while reducing environmental impacts.

Her work involves the quantitative assessment of nutrient inputs, outputs, surpluses, losses, and use efficiencies over time and across multiple spatial scales. A major component of her research has been the development of global nutrient budget databases, including a long term global phosphorus budget by country and crop type. These datasets have been used to derive indicators addressing challenges related to food security, nutrient pollution, and resource scarcity.

In addition to global scale analysis, Dr Tan Zou also conducts applied research at the local level. Using a comprehensive framework covering nutrient flows from agricultural production through food processing, consumption, and waste treatment, she has contributed to the creation of county level nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for the Chesapeake Bay watershed in the United States.