Following our annual tradition, we are extremely pleased to present here our 2024 Rising Stars in Environmental Research. They are outstanding early career researchers in fields from across environmental research. In the face of today’s multiple environmental challenges, their research deepens our understanding of complex environmental issues and offers new technologies to solve or mitigate pollution at city, national, and global scales. We hope our readers enjoy their great work published in the journal, and we are delighted to share more about their academic stories and successes in the brief introductions below.
Figure 1.
2024 Rising Stars in Environmental Research.
Michael Bertram
I am passionate about increasing ecological complexity and environmental realism in the field of ecotoxicology to more effectively protect natural environments from chemical pollution
Michael Bertram is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. He is also a Guest Researcher in the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University, Sweden, and an Adjunct Research Associate in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University, Australia. Dr. Bertram’s research focuses on understanding the impacts of human-induced environmental change on ecological and evolutionary processes in wildlife. In this regard, one of the major themes of his research program is uncovering how exposure to “emerging” forms of chemical pollution can disrupt complex traits and behavioral processes in wild animals. He tackles this problem using a combination of laboratory- and field-based approaches, including combining slow-release contaminant implants with high-resolution acoustic telemetry to reveal the behavioral impacts of pollutants on free-roaming animals in natural systems. Dr. Bertram graduated from Monash University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science (major: zoology) and a Bachelor of Arts (major: psychology). This was followed by an Honors Degree (2013) and a Ph.D. (2014–2019) in the field of behavioral ecotoxicology, which were both supervised by Prof. Bob B. M. Wong and Dr. Minna Saaristo at Monash University. He then moved across the world to undertake a Postdoctoral Researcher position (2019–2021) with Prof. Tomas Brodin at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, which was followed by Researcher (2021–2022) and now Assistant Professor (2023–present) roles at the same institution. More information about Dr. Bertram’s research group can be found on his web page: michaelbertramlab.org.
Dr. Bertram’s Rising Stars Letter is titled “Slow-Release Pharmaceutical Implants in Ecotoxicology: Validating Functionality across Exposure Scenarios” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00056).
Gauthier Deblonde
Many fear radioactivity, while ignoring the facts and associated benefits. Being a nuclear chemist is mainly about education, both to students and society in general.
Dr. Deblonde is a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). His research revolves around the chemistry of radioactive materials, including transuranic elements. Current studies in his lab focus on the interactions between metal ions and chelators (natural small molecules, polyoxometalates, synthetic ligands, or macromolecules, like proteins). Such studies have broad implications, ranging from separation technologies and medical applications to actinide and lanthanide sciences, strategic metal mining, and the environmental behavior of heavy metals. Dr. Deblonde’s academic journey began at the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris (Chimie ParisTech), where he earned a chemical engineering diploma with a double major in nuclear fuel chemistry, in 2012. He then pursued a Ph.D. in physical and analytical chemistry at Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC), completing it in 2015. In 2016, he moved to California for a postdoctoral position at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He then joined LLNL’s Nuclear and Chemical Sciences division as a postdoctoral scientist in 2019 and became a permanent staff member a year later. Dr. Deblonde has mentored numerous students from universities worldwide and is a strong advocate for the LLNL Glenn T. Seaborg Institute’s mission. The institute serves as a national center for the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in actinide sciences. More information can be found at the LLNL’s Seaborg institute web site: seaborg.llnl.gov/research.
Dr. Deblonde’s Rising Stars Review is titled “Biogeochemistry of Actinides: Recent Progress and Perspective” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00037).
Meng Gao
We are dedicated to better understanding the links between atmospheric composition and climate systems from local to global scales.
Meng Gao is currently a professor in the Department of Geography at Hong Kong Baptist University. His current research centers on understanding interactive processes between atmospheric chemistry and climate change, through statical analysis and numerical modeling. Specific topics include radiative effects of light-absorbing particles, long-term variations of atmospheric composition, and aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. Before this, he received a B.S. in Atmospheric Physics from Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology in 2012. In 2015, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Iowa working with Prof. Gregory R. Carmichael. From 2016 to 2019, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University working with Prof. Michael B. McElroy. More information about Prof. Meng Gao can be found at geog.hkbu.edu.hk/people/academic-and-teaching-staff/prof-gao-meng.
Dr. Gao’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Brown Carbon in East Asia: Seasonality, Sources, and Influences on Regional Climate and Air Quality” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00080).
Amanda Giang
We apply models of contaminant fate and transport to inform decisions on how to protect human and ecosystem health under a changing climate.
Amanda Giang is an Assistant Professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of British Columbia Vancouver campus. Her research group addresses environmental policy analysis challenges through an interdisciplinary lens, with a focus on pollution, climate, and energy. Key topics of current interest include developing better tools and methods for assessing and addressing air pollution and environmental injustice in Canada, understanding the links between air quality and decarbonization to inform policy and planning decisions, and understanding the combined impacts of global change drivers on contaminant cycling and exposure. She currently serves on the Early Career Editorial Advisory Board for Environmental Science & Technology, and the Editorial Board of Environmental Research Communications. She received a Ph.D. (2017) and M.S. (2013) in Engineering Systems and Technology Policy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (advisor: Prof. Noelle Selin), and a BASc in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT and a visiting postdoctoral fellowship in the Harvard Kennedy School Program on Science, Technology and Society (2017). More information about her research group is available at: ires.ubc.ca/amanda-giang/ and www.leap-ires.org/.
Dr. Giang’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Exploring Drivers of Historic Mercury Trends in Beluga Whales Using an Ecosystem Modeling Approach” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.3c00072).
Feng Ju
Our research has enriched the analytical methodology, deepened the mechanistic understanding, and demonstrated the engineering importance of environmental microbiome and resistome research.
Dr. Feng Ju is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at Westlake University in Hangzhou, China. He is jointly appointed as a Ph.D. supervisor in Biology in the School of Life Sciences. His group develops quantitative meta-omics approaches and bioinformatics tools for advanced microbiome, resistome, and virome analysis, aiming to unravel the connections among microbiomes, the environment, and human systems. Ultimately, his work seeks to design and engineer microbiome functions to enhance ecosystem and human health. Dr. Ju obtained his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Jianghan University (2008) and his master’s degree from South China University of Technology (2011). He earned his Ph.D. degree in Water and Environmental Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Tong Zhang at The University of Hong Kong (2011–2015), then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Helmut Bürgmann’s group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology or EAWAG (2015–2018). In autumn 2018, Dr. Ju joined the newly established Westlake University and found the Environmental Microbiome and Biotechnology Laboratory (EMBLab). He serves on the Editorial Boards of Engineering (launched by the Chinese Academy of Engineering), BMC Microbiology, and Environmental Science and Ecotechnology. More information can be found at his lab web site: ju-emblab.com.
Dr. Ju’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Metagenomics Disentangles Differential Resistome Traits and Risks in Full-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Plants under Ambient, Mesophilic, and Thermophilic Conditions” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00071).
Dae Woo Kim
Extremely structured nanomaterials can maximize performance in energy and environmental applications.
Dr. Dae Woo Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University. His research primarily focuses on the control of nanomaterial structures for applications in energy and environmental technologies, including membrane-based molecular separation, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and Li-ion batteries. Dr. Kim earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2009 and his Ph.D. in 2015, from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) under the guidance of Prof. Hee Tae Jung. Following his doctoral studies, he conducted postdoctoral research as a research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science at the University of Minnesota, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Michael Tsapatsis. Dr. Kim’s work emphasizes the development of novel nanostructured materials with tailored properties, aimed at enhancing the performance and sustainability of various energy and environmental systems. His research group is actively involved in bridging the gap between fundamental nanomaterial science and practical applications, striving to address global challenges in energy and the environment. More information can be found on the web site hni.yonsei.ac.kr.
Dr. Kim’s Rising Stars Review is titled “Graphene Membrane for Water-Related Environmental Application: A Comprehensive Review and Perspectives” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00088).
Mang Lin
Our sulfur radionuclide analytical techniques and modeling framework provide a precise understanding of modern sulfur cycles, particularly in Earth’s atmospheric and surface environments.
Mang Lin is a professor of isotope chemistry at the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS). His research focuses on advancing the understanding of isotope chemistry at the molecular level, as well as developing innovative isotope analysis techniques to address significant scientific challenges across environmental sciences and geosciences, including climate change and water resources. He is also interested in addressing these issues on longer time scales, including exploring the origins and evolution of our solar system, life, and planetary habitability. Prof. Lin received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Sun Yat-Sen University (2008 and 2013, respectively), and Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of California San Diego (2018) supervised by Prof. Mark Thiemens. Prior to joining GIGCAS, he spent one year at Tokyo Institute of Technology as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) postdoctoral research fellow hosted by Prof. Naohiro Yoshida. More information can be found at his lab web site: sites.google.com/view/mlin.
Dr. Lin’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Isotopic Constraints on SO2 Oxidation Rates and Their Potential Relationship with Sulfate Formation Pathways in the Planetary Boundary Layer” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00070).
Fangqiong Ling
We study microbial community assembly in urban environments to inform engineering solutions that improve infrastructure, public health, and sustainability, creating healthier, more resilient cities.
Fangqiong Ling is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. At WashU, she is leading a research group that explores the fundamental principles behind the assembly of microbial communities in urban environments, combining fieldwork, experiments, and computational methods to understand how microbes interact with urban conditions. The Ling Lab aims to inform engineering solutions that improve urban infrastructure, public health, and sustainability. Ultimately, they aim to translate this knowledge into practical applications that can help create healthier, more resilient cities. Dr. Ling earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 2016. During her Ph.D., she worked with Dr. Wen-Tso Liu to study the microbiology of drinking water distribution systems. Before starting her faculty position at WashU, she completed an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Microbiology of the Built Environment Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More information about Dr. Ling’s work can be found at her institution’s web site: engineering.washu.edu/faculty/Fangqiong-Ling.
Dr. Ling’s Rising Stars Letter is titled “Evaluating GPT Models for Automated Literature Screening in Wastewater-Based Epidemiology” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00042).
Garrett McKay
This work aims to advance our understanding of the structure of chromophores and fluorophores in natural organic matter using sodium borohydride.
Dr. Garrett McKay is an assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research group focuses on chemical processes occurring in natural and engineered systems, including environmental photochemistry, optical and photophysical characterization of natural organic matter, and treatment of emerging contaminants. Dr. McKay’s formal training includes B.A. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry (2007–2013) from California State University Long Beach (advisor: Dr. Stephen Mezyk), a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering (2014–2017) from the University of Colorado Boulder (advisor: Dr. Fernando Rosario-Ortiz), and postdoctoral training (2018–2019) at the Colorado School of Mines (advisor: Dr. Timothy Strathmann). More information about Dr. McKay’s research group can be found at mckaylab.com.
Dr. McKay’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Characterization of Natural Organic Matter and Humic Substance Isolates by Size Exclusion Chromatography following Reduction with Sodium Borohydride” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00075).
Natalie Nelson
My team advances understanding of where, when, why, and how water quality impacts occur, and we prepare model-based tools to facilitate sustainable decision- and solution-making.
Natalie Nelson is an Associate Professor and University Faculty Scholar in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. She is also a Faculty Fellow with NC State University’s Center for Geospatial Analytics. She earned a B.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Florida. Her Ph.D. is also in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Florida, received under the supervision of Dr. Rafael Muñoz-Carpena. Her research focuses on characterizing and modeling water quality impacts from nonpoint sources in coastal and inland surface waters, often using data-intensive and machine learning-based methods. Learn more about her research and team at go.ncsu.edu/nelson.
Dr. Nelson’s Rising Stars Perspective is titled “Effective Nutrient Management of Surface Waters in the United States Requires Expanded Water Quality Monitoring in Agriculturally Intensive Areas” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00060).
Hui Peng
Mapping the interactions between millions of chemicals and 20,000 human proteins will advance both environmental chemistry and toxicology by providing insights at the molecular level.
Hui Peng is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada (sites.chem.utoronto.ca/penglab/). He received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. at Peking University in 2008 and 2013, respectively. Following postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Toronto (with Dr. Andrew Emili) and University of Saskatchewan (with Dr. John P. Giesy), Hui Peng joined the department of chemistry at the University of Toronto as a faculty member in 2017. His research focuses on establishing the environmental Chemical-Protein Interaction Network (eCPIN) by pursing two research directions: the identification of exogenous and endogenous ligands using protein affinity selection coupled with untargeted mass spectrometry (AS-UMS), and the identification of protein targets through chemical proteomics.
Dr. Peng’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Haloacetonitriles Induce Structure-Related Cellular Toxicity Through Distinct Proteome Thiol Reaction Mechanisms” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00068).
Carsten Prasse
Our assay aims to address challenges associated with prioritization and identification of toxic water treatment byproducts in complex environmental mixtures.
Carsten Prasse is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on the identification of unknown organic contaminants in the natural and built environment and the assessment of public and environmental health risks associated with their exposures. He is particularly interested in the development and application of novel hazard assessment approaches, such as reactivity-directed analysis, that can help identify toxic chemicals in complex mixtures and prioritize mitigation strategies. Carsten received his Diploma (equivalent to an M.S. degree) in Geoecology from the University of Bayreuth, Germany in 2008 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany in 2012. Carsten completed postdoctoral training at the German Federal Institute of Hydrology under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Ternes (2012–2015) and at the University of California, Berkeley, under the supervision of Dr. David Sedlak (2015–2018). You can learn more about the research conducted in Carsten’s lab at prasselab.com.
Dr. Prasse’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Solid-Phase Reactivity-Directed Extraction (SPREx): An Alternative Approach for Simultaneous Extraction, Identification, and Prioritization of Toxic Electrophiles Produced in Water Treatment Applications” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00025).
Jessica Ray
My research developing new, engineered water treatment materials is driven by overcoming technological barriers of existing treatment processes to meet current and existing environmental threats.
Professor Jessica R. Ray is the Robert and Irene Sylvester assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington. Ray received her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2009. Upon graduation, Ray remained at Washington University in St. Louis to obtain a M.S. degree (2010, funded by the National Science Foundation GK-12 Graduate Research Fellowship) and a Ph.D. in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (2015, funded by the EPA Students to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship). During her Ph.D., Ray employed surface chemistry techniques to investigate interfacial reactions of nanomaterials in water. Ray then moved to California as a Miller Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2015–2018) at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As a postdoc, Ray developed low-cost polymer–clay composites to treat urban stormwater. At the University of Washington, Ray is continuing to develop and characterize new composite materials for selective contaminant removal in water sources, and for enhanced degradation of persistent contaminants. In recognition of her novel, interdisciplinary research addressing urban water supply and sustainability, Chemical & Engineering News named Ray one of the “Talented 12” honorees for 2020 as well as the NSF CAREER Award in 2021.
Dr. Ray’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Simultaneous Oxidation of Trace Organics and Sorption of Trace Metals by Ferrate (Fe(VI))-Coated Sand in Synthetic Wastewater Effluent” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00024).
Serina Robinson
Our investigation of urine-derived microbial amidases reveals their ability to transform a wide range of anthropogenic compounds, uncovering key molecular features to predict microbe-contaminant interactions.
Serina L. Robinson is a tenure-track group leader in the Department of Environmental Microbiology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), an institute in the ETH domain, and is a lecturer at ETH Zürich. Her research focuses on biochemical and computational methods to analyze and predict microbial biotransformation pathways for environmental contaminants. Serina completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Olaf College (2015) and she completed a dual degree M.Sc. in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (2020). Her doctoral thesis work was with Prof. Dr. Larry Wackett, where she combined environmental microbiome analysis with enzymology for machine learning-based enzyme activity prediction. Serina then moved to Switzerland in 2020 on an ETH Zürich postdoctoral fellowship for postdoctoral training with Prof. Dr. Jörn Piel at the ETH Zürich Institute of Microbiology. More information about Serina Robinson and her research can be found here: www.eawag.ch/en/about-us/portrait/organisation/staff/profile/serina-robinson/show/.
Dr. Robinson’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Machine Learning Reveals Signatures of Promiscuous Microbial Amidases for Micropollutant Biotransformations” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00066).
Tiezheng Tong
Mitigating mineral scaling by scaling-resistant membranes will greatly enhance the viability of membrane desalination to augment our freshwater supply in the context of climate change.
Dr. Tiezheng Tong is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (SSEBE) at Arizona State University. He was recently a tenured associate professor of Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University (CSU). He completed a postdoc position at Yale University (2017) under the supervision of Dr. Menachem Elimelech, and received his Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University (2015) under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Gray and Dr. Jean-François Gaillard. He graduated from Beijing Normal University (with the highest honor) and Tsinghua University with B.S. and M.S. degrees, both of which are in Environmental Engineering. His current research interests include developing novel materials and processes to achieve a circular water economy, understanding and mitigating mineral scaling in membrane desalination, and elucidating mechanisms of solute transport across selective membranes for water purification and resource recovery. He is currently an editorial board member of Journal of Membrane Science.
Dr. Tong’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Protein-Decorated Reverse Osmosis Membranes with High Gypsum Scaling Resistance” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00057).
Mingyang Xing
Our research examines the challenges in heterogeneous Fenton-like reactions, highlighting issues related to organic carbon transfer and catalyst degradation, while suggesting future research directions to enhance AOPs.
Professor Mingyang Xing is a professor currently affiliated with the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST). He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Weifang University and his Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry from ECUST under the mentorship of Professor Jinlong Zhang. Professor Xing is dedicated to both fundamental and applied research on advanced oxidation and reduction technologies in the field of environmental remediation. His current research emphasizes the development of advanced materials for environmental applications, including innovative MoS2 cocatalytic Fenton technologies. More information about the Xing group can be found on their web site: www.x-mol.com/groups/xing_mingyang.
Dr. Xing’s Rising Stars Perspective is titled “Non-negligible Organic Carbon Transfer during Organic Pollutant Degradation Processes by Advanced Oxidation Technologies” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00063).
Zhe Yang
Our work establishes a systematic framework for advancing nanofiltration technology, driving more efficient lithium extraction and promoting sustainable resource recovery processes.
Dr. Zhe Yang currently is an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) fellow in the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation/School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. His main research focuses on membrane-based water treatment and resource recovery for enhanced sustainability at water-energy-environment nexus. Dr. Yang received his B.E. in Chemical Engineering from East China University of Science and Technology (2013), M.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Missouri-Columbia (2014, advisor: Professor Baolin Deng), and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (2018, advisor: Professor Chuyang Tang). He then worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2018–2021) and Research Assistant Professor (2021–2023) in the Department of Civil Engineering at HKU, before joining University of Queensland in 2023. His invention of a water filter for rapid micropollutant removal won a Gold Medal at the 2019 Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, and the related patent has been successfully licensed to an HK-based company. He currently serves as the Early Career Editorial Board member for Desalination. More information about Dr. Zhe Yang and his research can be found here: researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/43567.
Dr. Yang’s Rising Stars Review is titled “Nanofiltration Membranes for Efficient Lithium Extraction from Salt-Lake Brine: A Critical Review” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00061).
Yifeng Zhang
Our research advances innovation in wastewater treatment, resource recovery, electrocatalysis, environmental sensors, and sustainable carbon capture, driving solutions for environmental challenges.
Yifeng Zhang is a professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he leads research in advanced electrochemistry in environmental and resource engineering. His work focuses on innovating solutions for wastewater treatment, resource recovery, advanced electrocatalysis, environmental sensors, and sustainable carbon capture and utilization. He earned his B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from Dalian Polytechnic University in 2005, followed by a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from DTU in 2012, under the supervision of Prof. Irini Angelidaki. After completing his Ph.D., he continued postdoctoral research at DTU, from 2012 to 2017. His research group at DTU is actively contributing to cutting-edge solutions in environmental technology. More information about his work can be found on his research group webpage: orbit.dtu.dk/en/persons/yifeng-zhang.
Dr. Zhang’s Rising Stars Article is titled “Advancing Microbial Electrochemical H2O2 Synthesis by Tailoring the Surface Chemistry of Stereolithography-Derived 3D Pyrolytic Carbon Electrodes” (DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00067).
As the editors of ACS Environmental Au, we would like to congratulate the 2024 Rising Stars in Environmental Research for their impressive achievements and great contributions to the journal. We would also like to thank our expert peer reviewers for their remarkable effort in reviewing these manuscripts in a professional and timely manner. Our journal’s editorial team members (Amelia Newman and Aditi Jain) are gratefully acknowledged for their dedicated work in coordinating the nominations for candidates and organizing this excellent special issue.
As a final note, after four years of remarkable contributions as an Associate Editor for ACS Environmental Au, Keri Hornbuckle left the editorial team in January 2025. Keri has been an Editor since the launch of our journal in 2021 and has been instrumental in establishing the journal. We thank Keri sincerely for her contributions and collaboration, and offer our best wishes for her future work. We are very pleased to welcome Prof. Xing-Fang Li (University of Alberta, Canda) to the editorial team for ACS Environmental Au from January 2025, and look forward to the future development of the journal.
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
Special Issue
Published as part of ACS Environmental Auspecial issue “2024 Rising Stars in Environmental Research”.