Research Groups
Environmental Analytical Technology Laboratory
Led by Dr. Haoran Wei, who is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This lab is also affiliated with the Environmental Chemistry & Technology program. The members of our lab are a group of environmental chemists and engineers striving to protect the safety of our drinking water supplies. Our research is focused on the development of rapid and inexpensive technologies for the detection of emerging contaminants in water. Although not being regulated by the US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act, the presence of emerging contaminants and their adverse impacts on human health have been increasingly reported. We hope that our research can help to sound the alarm as early as possible when emerging contamination occurs in drinking water supplies and provide solutions to reduce human exposure.
Environmental Biogeochemistry group
Professor Matthew Ginder-Vogel leads the Environmental Biogeochemistry group at UW Madison. Our group studies the fundamental biogeochemical processes controlling the dynamics of nutrients and contaminants within the environment. In addressing elemental cycling, environmental chemists must consider the complete system, rather than just a simplified fraction. In natural environments, element cycling may be mediated by a variety of processes, such as adsorption/desorption, oxidation, or reduction (abiotic or biotic). Our research combines field-based measurements with simplified lab-based experiments and development of novel measurement techniques, in order to reveal the dominant biogeochemical mechanisms affecting element cycling and mobility in environmental systems.
Aquatic Chemistry group
The Aquatic Chemistry group at UW-Madison focuses on processes that impact water quality. We study the fate of polar organic contaminants, such as pesticides and PFAS, in natural and engineered aquatic systems. We also study processes that transform organic chemicals, including the role of dissolved organic matter in those systems. By studying these fundamental reaction mechanisms, our group aims to develop models and real-world applications that can be used to improve water quality.