PhD students
Juyong Bak, University of Wisconsin-Madison
I completed my B.S. in Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering at Korea University (2021) and my M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University (2023). During my M.S. studies, I focused on investigating the immobilization mechanisms of arsenic (As) with ferrihydrite through various batch experiments and analytical techniques.
In September 2024, I will start my Ph.D. while also joining the DeltAs project. My research will focus on three main objectives:
- identifying biogeochemical reactions within delta sediments that control porewater As,
- validating hydrogeological predictors of groundwater As determined by collaborators using reactive transport modeling tools, and
- contributing to the development of a generalizable model to predict groundwater As on a regional scale.
Jacob Bothen, ETH Zurich
I was born and raised in Canada, and I grew up in a small town in the Niagara Region, Ontario which is known for the Niagara Falls and as one of the best wine/fruit regions in Canada. I completed my Hon. B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Environmental Chemistry from Trent University and McMaster University, respectively, where I gathered first research experience in analytical environmental chemistry and analytical method development.
Within the DeltAs project I will investigate the distribution of Arsenic (As) groundwater contamination in the Mekong and Red River Deltas in Vietnam, including temporal changes from previous data assessments, the chemical speciation of As and correlations to other geochemical quantities.
Nina Egli, Université de Neuchâtel
I am a former astrophysics graduate who has now shifted to hydrogeology. I completed my BSc and MSc in Physics from EPFL and ETH Zurich, respectively. In my MSc thesis I studied the formation of planetary-mass brown dwarfs.
In the DeltAs project, I am part of the hydrogeological modelling team as a PhD student. Focusing on the Red River delta, my goal is to build a detailed, stochastic model of the delta’s stratigraphy, using the dedicated Python package ArchPy. I will then use groundwater modelling tools, such as MODFLOW, to study groundwater flows in the delta. This research will be conducted in parallel with other DeltAs team members’, both drawing on their conclusions and supporting their own goals.
Anh Minh Vu, University of Zurich
After finishing my BSc in Civil Engineering at Thuyloi University, Vietnam, in 2020, I enrolled at the University of Applied Science (TH Köln) in Cologne, Germany, where I received my MSc in Integrated Water Resources Management in 2023. Duing my MSc thesis I studied surface water dynamics in Nhat Le river basin, Quang Binh province.
My study interest is in applying remote sensing technique in water-related study. I joined DeltAs project since March 2024 with research focuses on the river sediment dynamics via remote sensing in contributions to understanding arsenic (As) contamination situation in Vietnamese river deltas. Furthermore, I also aim on investigating both natural and human drivers causing impacts on river sediment in those deltas.