Tian Tang

Biography

Dr. Tian Tang studies the innovation of clean energy technologies and smart city technologies. Her primary research area investigates how energy and technology policies promote clean energy innovation and transition, which highlights the importance of inter-governmental and cross-sectoral collaboration in implementing these policies. An emerging stream of her research examines the drivers of smart city technology innovation and their impacts on citizen participation and public service provision related to sustainability and resilience. She teaches policy analysis, research methods, and governance for sustainable communities. Tian received her Ph.D. in public administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 2016. She was a Giorgio Ruffolo Doctoral Research Fellow in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard Kennedy School from 2014 to 2015, where she worked on research projects regarding renewable energy technology innovation and diffusion in China and US.

Education

Ph.D. in Public Administration, Syracuse University
Master in Public Policy, Tsinghua University
B.A. in Law & Economics, Tsinghua University

Courses Taught

PAD5700: Research Design in Public Administration

PAD5525: Governance for Sustainable Communities

PAD5227: Managing Public Financial Resources

PAD6705: Analytical Techniques for Public Administrators

Awards & Honors

Faculty Research & Creative Activity Award (Early Career), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Florida State University (2021).

University Graduate Teaching Award Nominee, Florida State University (2020).

ITIF Energy Innovation Policy and Management Scholar, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) (2019).

40 for 40 Fellowship Award, Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) (2018).

Research Activities

Sustainability and Governance Lab

Selected Grants:

Farid, Amro (PI), Youcef-Toumi, Kamal (Co-PI), Tang, Tian (Co-PI), & Arpan, Laura (Co-PI). (Jul 2024–Jun 2027). SCC-IRG Track 1: Assessing the Potential for Transactive Energy Communities in Rural New Hampshire. Funded by the National Science Foundation. (2327280). Total award: $1.7 Million.

Little, John (PI), Farid, Amro (Co-PI), Tang, Tian (Co-PI), Arpan, Laura (Co-PI) Bitterman, Patrick (Co-PI), Webster, D.G, Welty, Claire (Co-PI). (Oct 2023–Sep 2028). Collaborative Research: GCR: Convergent Anthropocene Systems (Anthems) – A System-of-Systems Paradigm. Funded by the National Science Foundation. (2317874). Total award: $3.6 Million.

Tang, Tian (PI), Li, Fang (Co-PI), & Holmes, Tisha (Co-PI). (Oct 2023–Oct 2025). EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Southeast Florida Region SubGrant. Funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency via a subcontract with Miami-Dade County. Total award $222,411.

Gao, Xue (PI), Tang, Tian (Co-PI), & Nock, Destenie (Co-PI). (Aug 2023–Jul 2026). Collaborative Research: Energy Efficiency and Energy Justice: Understanding Distributional Impacts of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs and the Underlying Mechanisms. Funded by National Science Foundation. (2315027). Total award $625,280.

Wang, Guang (PI), Tang, Tian (Co-PI), Coleman, Eric A (Co-PI), & Ozguven, Eren Erman (Co-PI). (Aug 2023–Aug 2025). SCS: A Socially Informed Electric Vehicle Promotion Framework for Rural Innovation towards Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability. Funded by FSU. Total award $150,000.

Shekhar, Shashi (PI), Ramaswami, Anu (Co-PI), Merwade, Venkatesh (Co-PI), Marshall, Julian (Co-PI), & Tang, Tian (Co-PI). (Sep 2017–Aug 2022). S&CC-IRG Track 1: Connecting The Smart-City Paradigm With A Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Systems Framework To Advance Equity In Communities. Funded by National Science Foundation. Total award $2,500,000.

Canfield, Casey (PI), Tang, Tian (Co-PI), Rai, Varun (Co-PI), & Gao, Xue (Co-PI). (May 2020–Dec 2020). Collaborative Research: The SolSmart Program Evaluation. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy via a subcontract with The Solar Foundation. Total award $145,000.

Selected Publications

* Co-first author; **Student co-author when the paper was written

Tang, T., **Luo, T., & **Harper, W. (2024). Resilience in complex disasters: Florida’s hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery amid COVID-19. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 102. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104298

Stevens, K., Tang, T., & Hittinger, E. (2023). Innovation in Complementary Energy Technologies from Renewable Energy Policies. Renewable Energy, 209, 431-441. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2023.03.115

Gao, X., Canfield, C., Tang, T., **Hill, H., **Higman, M., & Cornwell, J. (2022). Encouraging Voluntary Government Action via a Solar-Friendly Designation Program to Promote Solar Energy in the U.S. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(11). doi:10.1073/pnas.2106201119

Tang, T., Hou, J., Fay, D. L., &  **Annis, C. (2021). Revisit the drivers and barriers to e-governance in the mobile age: A case study on the adoption of city management mobile apps for smart urban governance. Journal of Urban Affairs, 43(4). doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2019.1572455

Baldwin, E., & Tang, T. (2021). Hierarchies, markets, and collaborative networks in energy governance: Multilevel drivers of renewable energy deployment. Journal of Environmental Management, 290. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112614

Xu, K., & *Tang, T. (2020). Closing the Gap or Widening the Divide: The Impacts of Technology-Enabled Coproduction on Equity in Public Service Delivery. Public Administration Review, 80(6), 962-975. doi:10.1111/puar.13222

Kim, J. E., &  *Tang, T. (2020). Preventing early lock-in with technology-specific policy designs: The Renewable Portfolio Standards and diversity in renewable energy technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, 123(5). doi:10.1016/j.rser.2020.109738

Tang, T., & Ho, Alfred Tat-Kei. (2019). A path-dependence perspective on the adoption of Internet of Things: Evidence from early adopters of smart and connected sensors in the United States. Government Information Quarterly, 36(2), 321-332. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.010

Tang, T. (2018). Explaining technological change in the US wind industry: Energy policies, technological learning, and collaboration. Energy Policy, 120, 197-212. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.05.016

Huenteler, J., Tang, T., Chan, G., & Anadon, L. D. (2018). Why is China’s wind power generation not living up to its potential? Environmental Research Letters, 13(4), 044001.

Tang, T., & Popp, D. (2016). The learning process and technological change in wind power: Evidence from China’s CDM wind projects. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(1), 195-222. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21879