Heyichen Xu standing in front of poster.

In the early stages of her doctoral studies, Xu has immersed herself in coursework, research discussions and collaborative learning. “I’ve been building my foundation through classes, literature reviews, conversations with my advisor and idea exchanges with peers,” she said. “In addition to research, serving as a teaching assistant for our core courses helps me deepen my understanding while supporting other students.”

The ACLCA conference was a highlight for Xu, particularly the poster session. “Sharing my research and hearing feedback from professionals and fellow researchers helped me see my work from new perspectives,” she said. “Those conversations sparked new ideas for future directions and reminded me how inspiring it is to be part of a community passionate about advancing data quality in LCA.”

As a student volunteer at the conference, Xu also helped with registration and setup, which gave her additional opportunities to network and connect with attendees.

Xu’s award-winning poster addressed a key challenge in the field — the use of outdated industrial energy datasets in Life Cycle Assessment. Many widely used life cycle inventory (LCI) databases still depend on data from the 1970s and 1980s, despite decades of improvement in manufacturing energy efficiency.

“My research included three levels of analysis,” Xu explained. “First, a bibliometric study showed how often legacy datasets are still referenced directly or indirectly. Then, a macro-level analysis of U.S. manufacturing data from 1998 to 2018 quantified industry-wide declines in energy intensity. Finally, I compared modern process-level data from sectors such as dairy, meat packing, cement, glass, and soybean oil milling.”

Her results demonstrate that relying on outdated datasets can distort environmental modeling and policy decisions. Xu’s poster calls for better transparency, documentation and updates to LCI databases to ensure that sustainability decisions are based on accurate, current information.

The ACLCA conference was Xu’s first opportunity to present her research publicly. “Winning first place at my very first academic conference was a huge honor,” she said. “It’s a meaningful validation of the work our team is doing to address outdated datasets. I’m especially grateful to my advisor and lab mates for their feedback and encouragement throughout the process.”

Xu credits the supportive community within Purdue SEE for much of her growth as a researcher and educator. “What I value most about SEE is how collaborative and welcoming it is,” she said. “Faculty, staff and students are approachable and genuinely committed to helping one another. As an international student, I’ve felt encouraged every step of the way — from navigating logistics to engaging in research and sharing ideas. Our cohort is close-knit and inspiring, and I’ve learned as much personally as I have academically.”