Profiles

Mercator Fellow in Baltic TRANSCOAST Research Training Group

Co-op Program Coordinator of the Ecohydrology Research Group

Office: PHY 222

Office: EIT 1003

Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 42820

Email: shuhuan.li@uwaterloo.ca

I am a postdoctoral fellow working on the NSERC-funded project "Adaptive management of green stormwater infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban watersheds," where I am working on modeling greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions in stormwater ponds and other water bodies using data available in the literature.

Phosphorus is an essential and often limiting nutrient for the growth of plants and phytoplankton. Excessive loads of phosphorus in aquatic environment can result in accelerated eutrophication. Beside the anthropogenic phosphorus input, some internal biogeochemical factors can play role for the mobilization of phosphorus from sediment into surface waters.

Role: Postdoctoral Fellow

My research focuses on carbon cycling in peatlands, as these sensitive ecosystems store around 33% of the terrestrial carbon pool, despite occupying only 3% of total land area. For my undergraduate thesis I looked at how peatland microbial communities respond to disturbance by way of mineral dusts. As climate change creates increasingly arid conditions, airborne mineral dusts traveling to sensitive ecosystems will become a more severe threat.

Office: PHY 3017

Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 31327

Email: s228yu@uwaterloo.ca

Start Date:  September 2020

Office: EIT 1003

Email: thnguyen@uwaterloo.ca

Serghei’s primary research interest is to study the interaction between physical and biogeochemical processes in lakes using a combination of numerical modelling and field studies to investigate specific processes of interest, such as:

As a member of the Ecohydrology Research Group, my primary focus is on modeling microplastic pollution transport in Kitchener's stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) and examining the impacts of urban development. 

In the Ecohydrology Research Group, I am working on the CLAWAVE project (Chemical load assessments for watersheds: automation and visualization experience), where I employ machine learning tools to reconstruct the trajectory of DOC in Canadian northern rivers, while simultaneously investigating the dynamics of carbon emissions.

Current research

My research evaluates the efficacy of natural and specialized hydrolytic enzymes in degrading microplastic waste, specifically comparing their impact on conventional (e.g., PET, PA) versus biodegradable plastics (e.g. PLA).

Educational/Research background

I received my Honours Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science (iSci) at McMaster University, where I concentrated in Earth and Environmental Sciences. My undergraduate research experience included evaluating lithological controls on waterfall geomorphology, reconstructing paleoclimates in Antarctica, and evaluating the bioaccumulation of microplastics in freshwater snails. I also conducted research with the Glacial Sedimentology Lab in collaboration with the APGO Education Foundation (APGOEF) as a Mitacs Accelerate Research Intern to create GeoHikes (GeoscienceINFO Website) across Southern Ontario.