Heileen Hsu-Kim

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Director of Graduate Studies, Professor in the Department of CEE

Heileen Hsu-Kim Profile Photo
Heileen Hsu-Kim Profile Photo

Research Interests

Aquatic geochemistry, environmental health and exposure science, nanogeoscience, metal biogeochemical cycling mineral resourcing

Bio

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 the natural and built environment. Her work strives to establish and use principles of geochemical speciation for understanding and predicting the persistence, mobility and bioavailability of metals and minerals in the environment and potential hazards to exposed populations. Her team uses these same approaches to study the extraction of metals from waste materials for valorization technologies.rn

Examples of ongoing research includes studies on toxins such as mercury, lead, arsenic and selenium in ecosystems and the built environment. She seeks to understand the risks of exposures to humans and biota while also identify pathways to reduce negative impacts caused by such exposures. Dr. Hsu-Kim also evaluates unconventional resources for critical metals such as rare earth elements and studies technologies for their extraction and production.

Her research employs multiple geochemical methods for element speciation and interfacial analysis, including mass spectrometry and X-ray spectroscopy. She develops functional measures of reactivity and bioavailability of contaminant metals, and techniques to probe interactions at solid, liquid and microbial interfaces.

Education

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

Positions

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

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

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

Courses Taught

  • ENVIRON 899: Master's Project
  • ENVIRON 666: Aquatic Geochemistry
  • ENVIRON 542L: Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
  • 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 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

Publications

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