I am a Lecturer in Environmental Science at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and an affiliate Principal Investigator at the Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Ireland. I earned my BSc in Industrial Ecology from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2014, followed by a PhD in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2020. After completing my PhD, I held Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany (2020–2022) and at Arizona State University with the NSF Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability Center in the USA (2022–2023). I joined UCC in March 2024.

My research on sustainable phosphorus management (see below for details) has mainly been published in leading journals such as Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T), ES&T Letters, and Water Research. I am an Early Career Board member of ES&T and received the 2020 ES&T Best Paper Award. I strive to do research that is intellectually interesting, practically applicable and inspiring for teaching. I am currently teaching several modules in environmental science, such as an introductory course, water treatment, and field trip training.   

For prospective PhD/master students and postdocs, please read my research interests and current projects. If you are interested in working with me, please reach out by email. I am very happy to discuss funding opportunities and/or support scholarship applications, such as the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, etc.

Overall, my research interests focus on sustainable resources management through the lens of Element Science, a framework that integrates fundamentals, technology translation, and policy & sustainability to address global challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, food security, and water quality. This sounds very ambitious and idealistic, but it is my strong belief that the solutions to these challenges depend on how we manage key elements: carbon for climate mitigation, nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) for agriculture productivity and water quality, and critical metals (e.g., lithium, rare earth elements) for energy transition. By breaking down traditional academic silos, element science fosters interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle complex, interconnected problems.

Following this framework (or philosophy), my current research is to redefine phosphorus sustainability by integrating fundamental chemistry, applied technologies and policy-driven solutions to addresses the phosphorus challenge - how to sustain the production of abundant nutritious food while protecting water quality and aquatic biodiversity. Though my current focus is on phosphorus, I aim to expand the scope to other elements and associated grand challenges.  

Current research projects include:

• Fundamental mechanisms of phosphorus transformation (atomic-scale chemistry of phosphorus reactions, e.g., adsorption, hydrolysis, precipitation, to guide material design and environmental remediation strategies)
• Technology translation for real-world impact (advanced materials for water purification, resource recovery and environmental monitoring)
• Policy-driven solutions (bridging gaps between fundamental, applied technologies, and social/economic sciences to design holistic phosphorus management strategies) 

EV1004: Environmental Science and Management
EV2005: Environmental Science Field Training 1