KYUNGWOON YANG 

University of California, Berkeley, PhD in Environmental Engineering 

Michael & Amy McLaughlin Scholar 2026

Project Title 

Evaluating Landfill Methane Measurement Methods with GPU-Accelerated Large-Eddy Simulation 

Project Description 

Recent advances in computing, particularly graphics processing units (GPUs), are making it possible to run extremely high-resolution weather models much faster and at finer scales than was previously practical. Yang’s project applies these emerging GPU-capable numerical weather modeling technologies to the problem of methane emissions from landfills. The research combines field measurements with high-resolution simulations to better understand how wind and atmospheric conditions influence how methane accumulates, disperses, and moves around a landfill. A better understanding of methane movement can improve the ability to detect and quantify emissions, identify areas where methane is escaping, and inform strategies for capturing and reducing those emissions. Ultimately, Yang’s research aims to bring advances in computational weather modeling into the waste management sector as a new tool for understanding and reducing landfill methane emissions. 

Biography 

Parker Yang earned his BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2024.  He is currently a PhD student in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, where he began his doctoral studies in 2024. His research focuses on atmospheric modeling and greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, with an emphasis on understanding how local weather conditions influence methane transport and measurement. He uses field observations and high-resolution numerical models to improve methane monitoring and emission estimates and to support more effective landfill management and mitigation strategies.