Research Mission Statement

The central mission of Lin’s research group is to advance water separation processes to address critical sustainability challenges at the nexus of water, energy and food, especially in the context of global climate change. Separation processes have played an indispensable role in modernizing water treatment and will become increasingly important as water treatment continues to evolve to adapt to climate change. In addition to enhancing water security, advanced water separation processes are also critical for tapping into unconventional sources for the sustainable supply of resources such as nutrients and critical minerals.
Around the overarching focus of aqueous separation process are three application themes: (1) desalination and water treatment; (2) resource extraction and recovery; and (3) brine management. With a group of more than 10 PhD students from both the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Lin’s group is currently working on these three application areas using three complimentary technical approaches: (1) theory and modeling; (2) process innovation; and (3) material development.
Around the overarching focus of aqueous separation process are three application themes: (1) desalination and water treatment; (2) resource extraction and recovery; and (3) brine management. With a group of more than 10 PhD students from both the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Lin’s group is currently working on these three application areas using three complimentary technical approaches: (1) theory and modeling; (2) process innovation; and (3) material development.