- Assistant Professor of Oceanography
- Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry
- Phone: 401.874.6141
- Email: hwang@uri.edu
- Office Location: 318 CACS
- Website
- Accepting Students: Not at this time
Biography
I was born and raised in an inland city in northern China. I had never imaged myself to be a chemical oceanographer before going to college until the first time I touched and then tasted (not recommended!) real seawater. I was amazed by ocean’s vast size, chemical composition, and role in impacting our daily lives, so I decided to do my part to protect the oceans professionally.
I received an MSc degree from Xiamen University by identifying the carbon sources in fueling the formation of hypoxia in the Eastern China Sea with the stable carbon isotope. In 2013, I moved to the United States to pursue my Ph.D. at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. During my Ph.D. training, my research mainly focused on hypoxia formation in the Gulf of Mexico and local Texas estuaries. Meanwhile, I gradually picked up research interests in ocean acidification, a side effect of continuous CO2 uptake by the ocean. During my first round of postdoc training at the University of Delaware, I examined the interaction between ocean acidification and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. I then went on to a second round of postdoctoral training at the University of Washington Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies. I used cutting-edge, uncrewed surface vehicles to study the carbon cycle and ocean acidification in the Pacific Arctic Region. At GSO, I plan to dedicate my career to studying carbon cycle responses to global climate change and anthropogenic stressors in different ecosystems.
Research
Biogeochemical cycling, carbon cycle, ocean acidification, hypoxia, Pacific Arctic Region, carbon dioxide removal, unmanned surface vehicle, time series analysis.
Education
Ph.D., Coastal and Marine System Science Program, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 2018
M.S., Marine Chemistry, Xiamen University, 2013
B.S., Environmental Science, Ocean University of China, 2010