Utah State University
Logan, Utah August 2022 – Present
Assistant Professor
Managing a lab
Training undergraduates and graduate students
Writing proposals and applying for funding
Teaching courses
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin January 2021 – July 2022
Postdoctoral Researcher
Identify enzymes for depolymerization and degradation of polystyrene to value-added products
Design engineered species to produce bioplastic precursors from dairy waste
Mentor graduate students and write grant proposals as PI or key personnel for corporations & government agencies
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, New York August 2019 – December 2020
Postdoctoral Researcher
Integrated new and current advanced technologies to design synthetic microbial communities that degrade emerging pollutants
Served as a teaching fellow for Biochemistry Laboratory (Fall 2019 )
Supervised students in projects, and graded lab reports and homework
University of Missouri
Research Assistant August 2019 – July 2019
Designed and performed a novel and high efficient anaerobic membrane bioreactor for low strength wastewater treatment
Developed and managed three related research projects to investigate the impact of short HRTs and carbon sources on the specific affinity of anaerobic sludge and their community structure in AnMBRs
Conducted various analysis and simulations such as chemical analysis, data analysis, dynamics simulation, bio-decomposition model, Biowin simulation and technical report writing
Teaching Assistant January 2019 – May 2019
Led weekly labs for Fundamental of Environmental Engineering courses with 50 students in each lab
Prepared course materials including lectures and protocols
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Jefferson, Missouri May 2017 – August 2017
Environmental Specialist
Managed water pollution enforcement case files for closure
Implemented compliance with water quality decisions in conjunction with permit holders for water pollution enforcement cases
Conducted cost analysis for compliance documents and completed case and summary memorandums
ALCLE Environmental Solutions, Inc.
Waterloo, ON, Canada June 2016 – September 2016
Project Manager
Served as a coordinator between North America and China for introducing high-efficiency anaerobic digestion inducted reactor (IBR) systems for commercial food and beverage waste/wastewater processing
Generated data sheets compiled from pertinent project cases, conducted local site selection investigations and environmental impact studies
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Assistant August 2011 – June 2014
Elucidated how microbial community responds to human-caused environmental changes in a subtropical watershed and demonstrated that nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry were the key drivers of diversity patterns of bacterial communities.
Clarified relationship among pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) or between PPCP and environmental parameter in a subtropical watershed and developed sewage markers from selected PPCRs for sewage source tracking.
Illustrated the mechanisms underlying the assembly of prokaryotic communities (Bacteria and Archaea domain) in the salinity-influenced watershed and estuary and presented the biogeographic pattern of the fluvial prokaryotic communities.
Deciphered the assembly mechanisms of key ecological groups within communities in wastewater treatment facilities and provided the novel insights into the understanding of assembly dynamics in the artificial aquatic system.
Teaching Assistant July 2012 – August 2013
Led the courses for Biochemistry
Supervised students in lab projects, and graded homework and essays