Bio

Dr. Mengye Zhu (she/her) is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance and a Social Science Research Scholar at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Her research is focused on climate and environmental policy and political economy, with a particular emphasis on the science–policy interface. She examines key climate discourses, including energy transitions and methane mitigation, with special attention to the roles of “keystone actors,” such as state-owned enterprises. Her work also combines policy analysis with sectoral technical assessments, including leading the development of Global Methane Abatement Solutions Tracker (G-MAST). She has extensive policy engagement experience, supporting high-level climate and environmental dialogues and advancing international collaboration. Before joining Stanford, she worked as an Assistant Research Professor and China Program Co-Director at the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. She received a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Tsinghua University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Academic Appointments

  • Social Science Research Scholar, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Editorial board member, Energy and Climate Change (2025 - Present)

Contact

Additional Info

All Publications

  • United States and China Anthropogenic Methane Emissions: A Review of Uncertainties and Collaborative Opportunities EARTHS FUTURE Behrendt, J., Smith, S. J., Yu, S., Chen, S., Zhang, H., Zhu, M., Williams, J., Cheng, X., Dule, A., Li, W., Cui, R., Hultman, N. 2025; 13 (6)

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2024EF005298

    View details for Web of Science ID 001504210000001

  • Critical mineral bottlenecks constrain sub-technology choices in low-carbon energy deployment iScience Yu, D., Gu, B., Zhu, M., Davidson, M. 2025; 28 (9)
  • Improving land-use efficiency of solar power in China and policy implications SOLAR ENERGY Yin, Y., Zhang, D., Zhu, M., Zhang, H., Liu, D., Sun, Y., Zhong, H., Ren, M., Wang, P. 2024; 280

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.solener.2024.112867

    View details for Web of Science ID 001299637900001

  • A comparative review of methane policies of the United States and China in the context of US - China climate cooperation CLIMATE POLICY Zhu, M., Smith, S. J., Chen, M., Evans, M., Chai, Q., Teng, F., Wang, P., Cheng, X., Li, W., Behrendt, J., Yu, S., Fu, S., Zhang, H., Cui, R., Lou, J., Ahluwalia, M., Hultman, N., Wang, Y. 2025; 25 (2): 171-189

    View details for DOI 10.1080/14693062.2024.2366902

    View details for Web of Science ID 001249804700001

  • Domestic and international status of methane management Roadmap for the Development of Methane Control Technology in China Teng, F., Liu, Q., Han, Y., Gu, A., Chen, M., Ma, Z., Peng, S., Zhu, M., Li, X., Ma, Z., Zhang, Q., Wang, S., He, Z., Li, T., Liu, B. China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. 2024
  • Co-evolution mechanism of policy mix and institutional context of renewable electricity consumption in China Energy and Climate Management Liu, Y., Zhu, M., Wang, Y. 2024

    View details for DOI 10.26599/ecm.2024.9400010

  • Carbon dioxide removal policies and practices in the U.S. and China Li, Y., Zhu, M., Peng, X., et al Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2024
  • Overview of methane mitigation policies in global key emitters beyond the United States and China Zhu, M., et al Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2024
  • Bridging the global stocktake gap of climate mitigation: A framework to measure political economy progress ONE EARTH Zhu, M., Chaturvedi, V., Clarke, L., Hochstetler, K., Hultman, N., Vogt-Schilb, A., Wang, P. 2023; 6 (9): 1104-1130

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.08.015

    View details for Web of Science ID 001079798400001

  • Air pollution governance in China and India: Comparison and implications ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY Wang, P., Liu, D., Mukherjee, A., Agrawal, M., Zhang, H., Agathokleous, E., Qiao, X., Xu, X., Chen, Y., Wu, T., Zhu, M., Saikawa, E., Agrawal, S., Feng, Z. 2023; 142: 112-120

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.02.006

    View details for Web of Science ID 000946981100001

  • State-owned enterprises and energy transitions: Key research questions for an emerging topic Authors Zhu, M., Al-Sulayman, F., Clark, A., Downie, E., Gupta, R., Hochstetler, K., Hultman, N. Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2023
  • Decarbonizing captive coal power plants in Indonesia and implications for Chinese stakeholders: Trends, challenges and opportunities Zhu, M., Lou, J., Cui, R., Cheng, X., Li, S., Li, D., Tumiwa, F., Arinaldo, D. . Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2023
  • Interpreting low-carbon transition at the subnational level: Evidence from China using a Natural Language Processing approach RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING Tie, M., Zhu, M. 2022; 187

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106636

    View details for Web of Science ID 000860317500004

  • Roadmap for US-China Methane Collaboration: Methane Emissions, Mitigation Potential, and Policies Yu, S., Behrendt, J., Zhu, M., et al Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2022
  • Low-carbon energy transition from the commanding heights: How state-owned enterprises drive China's wind power "miracle" ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE Zhu, M., Qi, Y., Hultman, N. 2022; 85

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102392

    View details for Web of Science ID 000737078100001

  • A plant-by-plant strategy for high-ambition coal power phaseout in China. Nature communications Cui, R. Y., Hultman, N., Cui, D., McJeon, H., Yu, S., Edwards, M. R., Sen, A., Song, K., Bowman, C., Clarke, L., Kang, J., Lou, J., Yang, F., Yuan, J., Zhang, W., Zhu, M. 2021; 12 (1): 1468

    Abstract

    More than half of current coal power capacity is in China. A key strategy for meeting China's 2060 carbon neutrality goal and the global 1.5 °C climate goal is to rapidly shift away from unabated coal use. Here we detail how to structure a high-ambition coal phaseout in China while balancing multiple national needs. We evaluate the 1037 currently operating coal plants based on comprehensive technical, economic and environmental criteria and develop a metric for prioritizing plants for early retirement. We find that 18% of plants consistently score poorly across all three criteria and are thus low-hanging fruits for rapid retirement. We develop plant-by-plant phaseout strategies for each province by combining our retirement algorithm with an integrated assessment model. With rapid retirement of the low-hanging fruits, other existing plants can operate with a 20- or 30-year minimum lifetime and gradually reduced utilization to achieve the 1.5 °C or well-below 2 °C climate goals, respectively, with complete phaseout by 2045 and 2055.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-21786-0

    View details for PubMedID 33727547

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7966364

  • Measuring political economy progress toward global warming goals Zhu, M., Chaturvedi,, V., Clarke, L., Hultman, N. Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. 2021
  • The China wind paradox: The role of state-owned enterprises in wind power investment versus wind curtailment ENERGY POLICY Zhu, M., Qi, Y., Belis, D., Lu, J., Kerremans, B. 2019; 127: 200-212

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.10.059

    View details for Web of Science ID 000463688200020

  • The Economy’s “New Normal” and China’s Low-Carbon Development: From the 11th to the 12th Five-Year Plans Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China (2015-2016) Zhang, H., Li, H., Zhu, M., Lu, J. Social Science Academic Press. 2016
  • Policy Recommendations and Producer Responsibility Institution Design for Waste Electronic Product Management Waste Electronic Product Management in Major Countries and Relevant Policies in China Zhu, M., et al edited by Qu, F., et al China Market Press. 2016
  • Reshaping Energy Consumption: Towards a Green, Low-Carbon Society Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China (2015-2016) Dong, W., Zhao, X., Li, H., Zhu, M., Zhang, S., Yang, X., Qi, Y. Social Science Academic Press. 2016
  • The Effect of Shale Gas Development on Carbon Emissions Reduction Based on a LMDI Decomposition Model Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China 2014 Zhu, M. edited by Qi, Y. 2014
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9037-568X