Ju Hyeon Lee is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Sunderland Lab in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on how atmospheric mercury (Hg), a global pollutant, cycles through the environment and influences the health of the biosphere. She uses Hg stable isotopes as the main tool to understand how different atmospheric mercury species and sources influence marine ecosystems in coastal and open ocean regions. Her affiliation with the Sunderland Lab positions her to expand her expertise in mercury stable isotopes while exploring further into the complex mercury dynamics and its broader implications for both environmental and human health.
Ju Hyeon is originally from South Korea, where she completed both her Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Environmental Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). During her graduate studies, she participated in multiple cruise campaigns to collect sediment cores and plankton samples to explore atmospheric mercury storage and bioaccumulation in the Arctic and the Indian Ocean regions. Following her Ph.D., Ju Hyeon took on a postdoctoral role at POSTECH, where she managed the atmospheric mercury monitoring station at Mt. Halla, Jeju Island. There, she coupled direct speciated atmospheric mercury measurements (using Tekran 2537X) with mercury stable isotope analysis in atmospheric samples and snowpack, enhancing understanding of mercury dynamics in the environment.
Her academic path is also distinguished by a diverse international background. In 2004, she moved to Glasgow, UK, for secondary school, beginning her journey of studying abroad. She later moved to Bristol, UK, where she completed her undergraduate and integrated master’s degrees in Geographical Sciences at University of Bristol, broadening her interdisciplinary expertise in environmental science.
Research Interests
- Mercury stable isotopes
- Atmospheric and biogeochemical cycle
- Stable isotope analysis
