Judy Yang － Principle Investigator

I am currently an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering and Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory at the University of Minnesota (UMN). I obtained my M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering at MIT in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Before joining UMN, I was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University from 2018 to 2020. I am a passionate environmental scientist interested in developing multiscale and interdisciplinary research to unravel the complex interactions among biota, fluids, and particles (sediment, soil). My group designs multiscale experiments, ranging from microfluidics to flume experiments, to address critical environmental questions related to coastal erosion, harmful algal blooms, soil carbon dynamics, and pathogen and contaminant transport in soil and sediment. I am also a proud first-generation college graduate, teacher, and mentor. As a teacher, my greatest pleasure would be to help empower students from various backgrounds to reach their full potential.

Outside my lab and the classroom, I am passionate about engaging more young people in STEM through science communication and community outreach. I co-produced several science videos (see Videos), volunteered to be math instructor in a female's correctional facility, designed and implemented various outreach activities, and shared my passion about STEM and research to hundreds of K12 girls and Native American students (see Outreach ).