
HE Ding (Principal Investigator)
Ph.D. in Chemistry
Florida International University, 2014
Assistant Professor
Contact address: dinghe@ust.hk
The phone number: 852-53009352
Education and Work Experience
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, HKUST, 2021-present,
Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor (Level IV), Hundred Talents Program, Zhejiang University, 2016-2021
Tenure Track Assistant Professor (Assistant Professor) Auburn University, 2016
Visiting Researcher, Tongji University, 2016.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Georgia, 2014 – 2016,
Ph.D. in Marine Organic Geochemistry, Florida International University, 2010 -2014
Grants
National Natural Science Foundation of China (Hong Kong and Macao), 2023-2025, PI
Hong Kong Research Grants Council (GRF) Merit Matching Grant, 2023-2025, PI
Hong Kong and Macao Oceanographic Research Center Project, 2022-2023, PI
Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), 2022, PI
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2020-2023, PI
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2018/01-2021/12, completed, PI
Visiting Project for Young Starfish Scholars of the Second Institute of Oceanography, 2021-2022, PI
Zhejiang Qianjiang Talent Project, 2018-2020, PI
South China Sea Biomarkers and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Transversal Project, 2017-2018, PI
Cristina Menendez Fellowship, Southeast Environmental Research Center, USA, 2011-2012, PI
Major Awards
2021 – Grand Prize (<2%), National Teaching Skills Competition for Young Teachers in Geology
2020 – Second Prize of Hong Kong Lin Baixin High Technology Award (only 2 in the same year in Zhejiang University)
2020 – Outstanding Moral Mentor, College of Geosciences, Zhejiang University (only 1 in the same year)
2020 – Advanced Individual in Annual Work of College of Geosciences, Zhejiang University (<10%)
2020 – Third Prize of Zhejiang University Young Teacher Teaching Skills Competition
2018 – Advanced Individual in Annual Work of Zhejiang University (<2%)
2017 – Zhejiang Province Qianjiang Talents

YI Yuanbi
Postdoctoral Fellow (2022- )
Yuanbi aims to use multiple methods, such as isotope and high-resolution mass spectrometry to explore the transport and transformation of organic matter in aquatic systems and its impact on climate change.
Email: yuanbiyi@ust.hk

LIANG Wenzhao
Postdoctoral Fellow (2022- )
Email: liangwz@ust.hk

CHEN Zhaoliang
Postdoctoral Fellow (2022-)
Email: chenzl@ust.hk

ZHAO Chen
Graduate student (HKPFS, 2022-)
Chen focuses on estuarine and coastal carbon cycling processes using advanced techniques, including stable and radioactive isotopes, lipids biomarkers, optical methods, ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry, and data sciences.
Email: chen.zhao@connect.ust.hk

YAN Zhenwei
Graduate student (2022-)
Zhenwei focuses on the source, sink, and transformation of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the ocean. Through isotope (13C and 15N) technology and FT-ICR-MS, I’m trying to distinguish the source of DON, describe the degradation path of DON, and analyze the structure change of the DON molecules. Eventually, I want to find out how carbon nitrogen couples with dissolved organic matter in the natural environment, and clarify DON’s role in global carbon cycling.
Contact address: zyanbf@connect.ust.hk

HOU Yifu
Graduate student (2022-)
Yifu on data-driven research of estuarine and coastal cycling, specifically Organic Geochemistry. I try to use a visual approach to present and interpret large amounts of data from our database, e.g. FTICR-MS, which could provide molecular information.
Contact address: yhouaq@connect.ust.hk

ZHOU Yuping
Associate Professor, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology
Interests: Biogeochemical progress of biogenic elements (C、N) in eutrophic aquatic ecosystems (estuaries, coastal ocean) Migration and transformation of microalgae-derived DOM
Email:zhouyupingtt@163.com

ZHOU Bin
Associate Professor, Nanjing University, China
Her main research interest is to address paleoclimate, paleoecology, and geochemical problems such as climate change, C4 plants evolution, fire history, and human activities with more accurate and potential proxies in different sediments from loess-paleosol, lakes, and deep sea layers. She primarily applies stable carbon isotopic compositions and abundances of organic molecules (mainly including biomarkers and elemental carbon) to constrain the physical and environmental conditions of terrestrial systems and ancient oceans.
Email: zhoubinok@nju.edu.cn

WU Yunchao
Visiting Scholar (2022.10- )
Yunchao’s research interest lies in the nutrient (including inorganic and organic forms) transport and transformation processes in coastal waters through multiple techniques including stable isotope, optical spectrum, and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry.
Email: ycwuhkb@ust.hk, wuyunchao@scsio.ac.cn

ZHENG Haowen
Visiting Scholar (2022.10- )
Haowen focuses on the source apportionment, atmospheric transport, and interface processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the marginal seas, open oceans, and polar regions, using multi-dimensional models or methods.