People

Xun Guan (关珣)

Email: xguan80@gwmail.gwu.edu

M.S. in Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
B. S. in Environmental Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University

Xun’s research is primarily focused on investigating the mechanisms involved in the deposition and remobilization of colloidal-activated carbon, which is utilized in the in-situ remediation of groundwater. Additionally, she has a strong interest in studying the interactions at the colloid-surface interfaces. Outside of her research pursuits, she enjoys activities that make her feel relaxed, such as fitness, watching movies, and traveling.

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Bridget Anger

Email: bridgetanger@gwu.edu

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Awards:

• Meyerhoff Scholar
• Undergraduate Award, American Chemical Society’s Division of Environmental Chemistry

Bridget’s research is focused on understanding how surface chemistry affects mineral scaling and organic fouling in reverse osmosis membranes used for desalination. Outside of the lab, she loves to read, paint, and play with her cat named Goose.

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Kejia Hu (胡珂嘉）

Email: kejia_hu@gwmail.gwu.edu 

M.S. in Hydraulic engineering, China Agricultural University
B.S. in Hydraulic and hydropower engineering, China Agricultural University

Awards:

• Chemical Society of Washington (CSW) Student Travel Award, 2023
• 2024 Ellen Gonter Graduate Student Research Paper Awardee.  This is the highest award given to students by the Division of Environmental Chemistry.

Kejia is interested in modeling electrochemical water treatment processes, including modeling physical processes, conducting techno-economic analysis, and evaluating the feasibility of treated water for irrigation use. When she has extra time, she likes to watch detective series.

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Yongchang Yu (喻永昌)

Email: yongchang.yu@@gwmail.gwu.edu

M.S. in Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research
B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University

Yongchang’s primary research interest lies in the extraction of ions from wastewater and unconventional water sources through electrochemical intercalation material reactions. His current focus revolves around extracting lithium ions from geothermal brine and removing sodium and chlorine ions from brackish water for agricultural applications. Additionally, he is passionate about exploring electrochemical cell design, working electrode synthesis, and coating technology for intercalation reactions. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking and playing tennis.

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Samarpan Deb Majumder

Email: samarpan.debmajumder@gwmail.gwu.edu

M.S. in Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering & Management

Sam is primarily dedicated to investigating the underlying mechanisms driving the development of scaling and fouling complexes on membrane surfaces. He seeks to unravel how distinct factors, including interfacial surface energy influencers like hydrophobicity, hydration energy, thermodynamic aspects such as temperature and pressure, and weak interaction forces, impact the formation of these complexes. Apart from his academic pursuits, Sam channels his spare time into rigorous fitness training, with aspirations to compete in the upcoming CrossFit Games.

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Zhaoyang Wang (王朝阳)

Email: zw192@gwmail.gwu.edu

M.S. in Geography & Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University (China)

Zhaoyang’s research focuses on investigating the issues of membrane fouling and scaling in water treatment processes. His current research project is related to efficiently removing antibiotic-resistant genes from the environment using the adsorption capability of semi-permeable membranes. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and watching movies.

Awards:

Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) Student Award, 2024

Junhan Li (李君晗)

Email: junhan.li@gwmail.gwu.edu

M.S. in Geography & Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University

Junhan’s current research focuses on continuous lithium-ion extraction from brine. She is deeply interested in exploring practical electrochemical methods for water treatment applications. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking and photography.

Lingchen Kong (孔令臣)

Ph.D. 2024

Dissertation title: Selective Ion Separation in Electrochemical Systems for Water Purification and Lithium Extraction

Current position: Co-founder and CEO, Ellexco LLC

Email: lingchenkong@gwmail.gwu.edu 

M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech
B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University
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Awards:

• Chemical Society of Washington (CSW) Student Travel Award, 2022
• George Washington University Pitch George Competition, First Place in Tech Venture Track, 2022
• Global Student Entrepreneur Award (GSEA) Competition, First Place in USA-DC region, 2023
• AACYF Top 30 under 30, Class of 2023 (Link)

Lingchen’s research interest is selective ion separation by electrochemical processes for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Particularly, he focuses on membrane capacitive deionization for nitrate removal from wastewater and intercalation deionization for lithium extraction from geothermal brine. Outside of the lab, Lingchen co-founded a startup company, Ellexco, to commercialize the chemical-free lithium extraction technology. In daily life, he loves traveling, hiking, and cooking.

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Li Chen (陈力）

M.S.  with thesis in Environmental Engineering, GWU, graduated in 2023
Thesis title: Selective Lithium Separation by Hydrophobic Polymer Modified Cation Exchange Membrane

B.S. in Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agriculture University

Current position: Ph.D. Student, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Chenwei Liu （刘宸炜）

M.S.  with thesis in Environmental Engineering, GWU, graduated in 2023
Thesis title: Effect of Ionic Strength and Flow Rate on the Transport of Colloidal Activated Carbon in Saturated Porous Media

B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology

Current position: Ph.D. Student, Utah State University

Yarong Qi (漆亚瑢）

M.S.  with thesis in Environmental Engineering, GWU, graduated in 2021
Thesis title: Kinetics and Mechanisms of Silica Scale Formation on Organic Macromolecule- Coated Surfaces

M.S. in Environmental Engineering, Peking University
B.S. in Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing

Current position: Ph.D. Student, University of California, Berkeley
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Jianxin Chen (陈健欣）

Thesis title: Technoeconomic Assessment of Brackish Water Electrochemical Desalination with Intercalation Electrodes

M.S.  with thesis in Environmental Engineering, GWU, graduated  in 2020

B.E. in Groundwater Science and Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology
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Current position: Ph.D. student, Central South University

Wenjing Shi (石文静）

M.S.  with thesis  in Environmental Engineering, GWU, graduated  in 2020

Thesis title: Formation and Characterization of Fully Aromatic Polyamide Thin Films on Solid Substrates

B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Donghua University

Current position:  Design Engineer, Shanghai Sanyi Construction Design Co., Ltd

Milenia Rojas

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester
​Posse Foundation Fellow
Research project: Computational fluid dynamics simulation of electrodialysis for desalination

Current position: Ph.D. Student, Stanford University

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