Yuan Li
Graduate student
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota. I received my B.S. and M.S. degrees in petroleum engineering at China University of Petroleum (East China), and then joined Judy’s group in 2021. I was born and raised in Dongying, Shandong, China, a large part of the city's economy revolves around petroleum and the nearby Shengli Oil Field. Witnessing the pollution caused by oil extraction led me to reconsider my professional trajectory and shift toward addressing ecological challenges. Currently, I am working on an environmental-related issue, Harmful Algal Blooms. We study the flocculation process between clay particles and algal cells using image processing technology both on macro and micro scales. Our expectation is to understand the interaction between algal cells and clay particles and put forward a comprehensive method to guide on using clay to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms. In addition to research, I enjoy music and discovering new foods and cuisines in my leisure time.