Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2018
  • M.S., Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2017
Academic Appointments
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, UMBC, 2019–2022
Professional Affiliations
  • American Chemical Society
  • Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Dr. Yan has a background in chemical and environmental engineering with emphasis on the fundamental processes that control pollutant fate and transport in sediments and aquatic environments. She uses tools like passive sampling to investigate exposure and bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) to organisms. Dr. Yan has extensive project experience in contaminated site assessment and management, including technical support for site investigations, technical evaluation of chemical contamination, fate and transport modeling, data management and optimization, and technical review of sediment remediation alternatives and technologies.

Dr. Yan has experience working on multidisciplinary teams to address issues of environmental contamination of sediment, surface water, porewater, groundwater, and other matrices in a variety of environments. Her doctoral thesis focused on the applications and development of emerging passive sampling technologies to provide high-quality deliverables. She is experienced with a wide range of contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Dr. Yan has been actively involved in field work as well as lab work, including sample collection and processing, data management and analysis, and simulation modelling. She is skilled in analytical chemistry techniques including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD), gas chromatography with single (GC-MS), and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

Recently, Dr. Yan expanded her capabilities to provide regulatory support for commercial clients to identify the presence of PFAS in their products and develop strategies to identify and eliminate the sources of PFAS.

As a Chinese native, she is fluent in English and Mandarin.