Bio
Employment Experience:
Laboratory Technician, September 2002 - present.
Environmental Sciences Division, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Major responsibilities include:
(1) Support several Principal Investigators (PIs) in experimental design, analytical method development, laboratory experimentation, samples analyses, data analyses, and contributions to technical reports, manuscript writings, and presentation;
(2) Provide main support for the ORNL WaDE SFA and Mercury Science Focus Area (SFA) and other related projects, particularly on mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) analyses, preparation and wet-chemical analyses of various geochemical and biological samples, including IC-anion, ICP-metals, UV/VIS, sulfide, ferrous and total iron, dissolved organic carbon and inorganic carbon.
(3) As a lab space manager responsible for sophisticated laboratory instrument operation, calibration, maintenance and troubleshooting independently, materials ordering and tracking, chemical inventory, and waste disposal; Also dealt with many unexpected lab problems to ensure workers were working safely under the proper work control documents and new hazards introduced to the work environment.
(4) Supervise and train postdoctoral researchers and students on laboratory instrument operations, health and safety, chemical and biological analyses of samples for multiple projects, and data analysis, quality assurance and control (QA/QC), etc. to meet project goals.
Technologist in Radiochemistry, March 2000 - June 2002.
TELEDYNE BROWN ENGINEERING, KNOXVILLE
Major responsibilities include operation, calibration, troubleshooting, and maintenance of various alpha/beta radiocounting instruments and liquid scintillation spectrometers, loading and unloading radioactive samples for counting Gross alpha/beta, and a variety of other nuclides (Ni-59, Ni-63, C-14, I-131, Fe-55, Sr-90, Sr-89, P-32, Tc-99, Cs-137, S-35, Pm-147, Ra-228), monitoring counting system background and efficiencies, performing data analysis, and technical reports. Maintenance of control chart logs including backgrounds and check sources in excel file that are referred to verifying results reported to clients. Responsibilities also include making the decision of sample recounting, sample counting time, checking data, and making all different nuclide standards for annual instrument calibrations and reporting.
Staff Chemist, June 1998 – December 1999
S&ME, INC. KNOXVILLE
Worked on various projects including:
Houston Lighting & Power Company, South Texas Project - Chemical analysis including total halogens, metals, total sulfur and leachable chlorides.
Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals Center Project – Chemical analysis including grind, viscosity, weight, color, dry time, solvent and thinner ratio, weight percent solids, adhesion, percent pigment, and non-volatile vehicle by weight.
Chemical analysis for aggregates including moisture content, loss on ignition, metal contents, total chloride, sulfate, sulfur, insoluble residues, and SiO2%. Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic identification of chemical compounds.
Chevron oil company project, chemical analysis including acid number, base number, dropping point, and flash point of oil and grease.
Soil physical and chemical analysis including resistivity, extractable anions, pH, metals, and total organic carbon.
Research Assistant and technical support, September 1994 – May 1998
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY, OAK RIDGE, TN
Performed adsorption and column transport studies of metals, organic compounds, and radionuclides in both batch and column flow-through systems.
Studies on the reductive precipitation of uranium and technetium by elemental iron or palladium-catalyzed iron metals; Pertechnetate and perchlorate removal from contaminated groundwater by synthetic resins and activated carbon.
Heavy metal interactions with peat moss and other adsorbent materials.
Groundwater testing and analysis of bromide, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, ferrous iron, sulfide, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and low-level uranium.
Graduate Research Assistant, August 1994 – May 1996
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE
Graduate Research Assistant (M.Sc. student)
Studies of electro-osmotic flow in non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis.
Awards
2006 Distinguished Achievement for Technical Support. in Environmental Sciences Division
2013 Awarding Org: UT-Battelle
Recognition/Award: Director's Award for Outstanding Team Accomplishment
Citation: For groundbreaking research in biotic and abiotic mechanisms of mercury methylation in the environment
Category leading to high impact publications in Science and Nature Geoscience.
Education
M.S., Analytical Chemistry, 1996
Chemistry Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
B.S., Chemistry, 1982
Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Additional courses: Computer Science Technology etc.
Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Knoxville, TN.
Specialized Equipment
Experienced with automated laboratory instrumentation, maintenance, and troubleshooting independently for instruments such as: Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), MERX automated mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) systems, Lumex, Aqualog spectrofluorometer, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA), kinetic phosphorescence analyzer (KPA), ion chromatography (IC), LECO carbon/sulfur analyzer, FT-IR spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV/VIS spectrophotometer, total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), various alpha/beta radioactive counting instruments and liquid scintillation spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, purging & trap concentrators for volatile organic compound analysis.