Education
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Chemistry, Specialization: Environmental Organic Chemistry Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
- Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Specialization: Environmental Chemical Engineering Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
- M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Specialization: Environmental Engineering Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea
- B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea
Professional Experiences
- Professor (Oct. 2017 – present): Dept. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University (NU), Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
- Visiting Professor (Sept. 2016 – Oct. 2017): School of Environmental Science and Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
- Visiting Professor (Sept. 2014 – Aug. 2015): Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
- Visiting Professor (Sept. 2012 – Aug. 2013): Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Associate Professor (March 2009 – Aug. 2016): Dept. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Insitute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Assistant Professor (Sept. 2005 – Feb. 2009): Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Senior Researcher (Sept. 2003 – Aug. 2005) Environment and Process Technology Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
- Researcher (Dec. 1994 – July 1995): Environmental Engineering Center, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT), Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
Recent Activities
- 2024 Nazarbayev University UNSDG Research Excellence Awardee
- The world’s top 2% most cited scientist (2022, 2023, & 2024): Elsevier
- National Science Council Member, Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Astana, Kazakhstan (2021 – Present)
- Asian University Alliance (AUA) Professor, University of Tokyo, AUA, Beijing, China (2019 – 2020)
- Associate Member, Korean Association of Science and Technology (2014 – Present)
- Technical Management Board Member, Association of Academies of Sciences in Asia (2008 – 2011)
Current Research Interest
- Sustainable water and wastewater treatment technologies
- Environmental catalysis in natural and engineered water systems
- Carbon utilization via mineral carbonation and catalytic chemical CO2 conversion
- Carbon sequestration via GHG storage in geological formations
- Life cycle assessment of environmental technologies and industrial facilities
- Human health risks of emerging contaminants in natural and environmental systems
