Speaker: Xianming Zhang, Concordia University
Title: Environmental Sources, Processes and Risks of Organic Contaminants: Monitoring, Modeling, and Integrated Assessments
Abstract: Our modern society and everyday life rely on tens of thousands of chemicals, most of which eventually enter the environment. Once there, these chemicals can be transported from sources to different environmental media and undergo transformation processes. environmental risks of chemicals are associated with their source emissions and environmental fate processes. Assessing the risks of complex environmental mixtures is challenging for environmental risk assessors and decision-makers. In this seminar, I will introduce my research program that aims to address the organic mixture challenge by identifying chemicals of environmental concern and characterizing important environmental processes. Using specific studies, I will introduce targeted and non-targeted chemical analysis, and computational model simulations I have developed or used to discover and characterize chemicals of environmental concern. Finally, I will share my perspectives on how to better address environmental issues related to organic chemicals through interdisciplinary approaches involving different stakeholders.
Bio: Dr. Xianming Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with cross-appointment at the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University. He received BSc in Environmental Sciences from Peking University, MSc in Physical Geography and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, and postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He previously worked as a scientific evaluator at Health Canada in supporting risk assessment and regulations of agrochemicals in Canada. He is currently serving on the Health Canada Scientific Advisory Committee for Pest Control Product. His current research uses high-resolution mass spectrometry based targeted and non-targeted analysis and environmental model simulations to study chemicals of urban origins and their transformation processes and products. Presented in over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, several guidelines and reports for the government, his research has made significant contributions to environmental chemistry with over 2900 citations (H-index of 32) and provided scientific support for better chemical management and regulations.