About Me
I am a post-doctoral researcher in the Soil Chemistry Group in the Institute for Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics at ETH Zurich. The aim of my research is to understand the transformation of iron minerals in redox-active soil environments. The particular focus of my recent work has been on the transformations of iron (oxyhydr)oxides and iron hydroxysulfates, such as ferrihydrite and jarosite, in sulfur-rich soils such as acid sulfate soils. Working with rice paddy soils from central Thailand, both in laboratory and field experiments, I am developing an understanding of the stability of these minerals in acid sulfate soils under regular cycles of flooding and drainage.
photo taken by Jasper Lee
My current research is part of a larger project titled "Iron mineral dynamics in soils and sediments: Moving the frontier towards in-situ studies" which is funded by a European Research Council advanced grant and led by Prof. Dr. Ruben Kretzschmar. The idea of the project is to develop techniques to follow iron mineral transformations as they occur in soils. In situ studies provide insights into the environmental relevance of mineral transformation processes, which would be otherwise difficult to understand using model studies alone.
Academic Background
Since 2023, I have been a post-doctoral researcher in the Soil Chemistry research group at ETH Zurich.I defended my Doctor of Science ETH in the Soil Chemistry research group at ETH Zurich in September 2023, with a thesis titled " Transformation of jarosite and iron oxyhydroxides in acid sulfate paddy soils" under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ruben Kretzschmar and Prof. Dr. Laurel ThomasArrigo.
I completed a Master of Science ETH in Environmental Science from ETH Zurich in 2017. My master's thesis was on the topic "Mercury isotope variations at a contaminated site in Valais, Switzerland", co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Ruben Kretzschmar and PD Dr. Jan Wiederhold.
My undergraduate training was in environmental engineering. I hold a bachelor of Engineering Technology (Environmental Engineering) from the Univeristy of New England (Armidale, Australia), and a Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Hons I) (Environmental Engineering) from the Univeristy of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba, Australia). My honours thesis was titled "Mapping changes in landscape-scale patterns of vegetation in coal seam gas development areas".