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Heileen Hsu-Kim

Hsu-Kim

Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Heileen (Helen) Hsu-Kim is an environmental engineer who specializes in environmental aquatic chemistry and geochemistry. Her research tackles problems related to pollutant metals and the biogeochemical processes that alter their distribution in water, soil, and air. The applications of this work include environmental remediation technologies, the impacts of energy production on water resources, global environmental health, and the environmental implications and applications of nanotechnology.

Dr. Hsu-Kim's current research projects are focused on mercury biogeochemistry, the impacts of coal ash disposal on water quality, recovering valuable materials from geological wastes, and health impacts of trace metal/metalloid exposures. A central theme to her work is the utilization of chemical speciation for understanding and predicting the persistence, mobility and bioavailability of metals and minerals in the aquatic environment.

The methodologies her group employs for this research include laboratory techniques for quantifying trace element speciation, functional measures of reactivity and bioavailability of contaminant metals, and techniques to probe interactions at mineral, water and microbial interfaces.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Professor of Environmental Sciences and Policy

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 118A Hudson Hall, Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708
  • Office Phone: +1 919 660 5109
  • Email Address: hsukim@duke.edu
  • Websites:

Education

  • Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2004
  • M.S. University of California, Berkeley, 1999
  • B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998

Research Interests

Aquatic chemistry and geochemistry, trace element environmental chemistry, nanogeoscience, mercury biogeochemistry, water-particle surface processes.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. President of the United States of America. 2011

Courses Taught

  • MENG 551: Master of Engineering Internship/Project Assessment
  • MENG 550: Master of Engineering Internship/Project
  • ENVIRON 899: Master's Project
  • ENVIRON 666: Aquatic Geochemistry
  • ENVIRON 542L: Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
  • ENVIRON 393: Research Independent Study
  • ENERGY 796T: Bass Connections Energy & Environment Research Team
  • ENERGY 795T: Bass Connections Energy & Environment Research Team
  • ENERGY 396T: Bass Connections Energy & Environment Research Team
  • ENERGY 395T: Bass Connections Energy & Environment Research Team
  • CEE 890: Advanced Topics in Civil & Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 692: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 691: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 666: Aquatic Geochemistry
  • CEE 561L: Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
  • CEE 560: Environmental Transport Phenomena
  • CEE 494: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 493: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 461L: Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
  • CEE 394: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 393: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Jiang, C; Castellon, BT; Matson, CW; Aiken, GR; Hsu-Kim, H, Relative Contributions of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Dissolved Copper to Cu Uptake Kinetics of Gulf Killifish (Fundulus grandis) Embryos., Environmental science & technology, vol 51 no. 3 (2017), pp. 1395-1404 [10.1021/acs.est.6b04672] [abs].
  • Schwartz, GE; Redfern, LK; Ikuma, K; Gunsch, CK; Ruhl, LS; Vengosh, A; Hsu-Kim, H, Impacts of coal ash on methylmercury production and the methylating microbial community in anaerobic sediment slurries., Environmental science. Processes & impacts, vol 18 no. 11 (2016), pp. 1427-1439 [10.1039/c6em00458j] [abs].
  • Taggart, RK; Hower, JC; Dwyer, GS; Hsu-Kim, H, Trends in the Rare Earth Element Content of U.S.-Based Coal Combustion Fly Ashes., Environmental science & technology, vol 50 no. 11 (2016), pp. 5919-5926 [10.1021/acs.est.6b00085] [abs].
  • Schwartz, GE; Rivera, N; Lee, SW; Harrington, JM; Hower, JC; Levine, KE; Vengosh, A; Hsu-Kim, H, Leaching potential and redox transformations of arsenic and selenium in sediment microcosms with fly ash, Applied Geochemistry, vol 67 (2016), pp. 177-185 [10.1016/j.apgeochem.2016.02.013] [abs].
  • Diringer, SE; Feingold, BJ; Ortiz, EJ; Gallis, JA; Araújo-Flores, JM; Berky, A; Pan, WKY; Hsu-Kim, H, River transport of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and risks for dietary mercury exposure in Madre de Dios, Peru., Environmental science. Processes & impacts, vol 17 no. 2 (2015), pp. 478-487 [10.1039/c4em00567h] [abs].
  • Hsu-Kim, H; Kucharzyk, KH; Zhang, T; Deshusses, MA, Mechanisms regulating mercury bioavailability for methylating microorganisms in the aquatic environment: a critical review., Environ Sci Technol, vol 47 no. 6 (2013), pp. 2441-2456 [10.1021/es304370g] [abs].

Affiliate Topics in Materials Research