Faculty Spotlight: Xiaolang Zhang, Ph.D.

Xiaolang Zhang, Ph.D., grew up in a village in China, dreaming of seeing a bigger world. So, when it came time to pick a career path, he chose to study water, he said, which opened the opportunity to explore the Earth

“My dream came true,” said Zhang, who traveled the world studying water everywhere from cruising over the sea, driving in the sand sea of deserts to visiting the headwater of Yellow River in the Earth’s Third Pole of the Tibetan Plateau, located at the intersection of South, Central, and East Asia, Zhang is now an assistant professor in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

As a hydrogeologist, Zhang studies groundwater, such as where it flows and how, as well as issues in the quality of that water, such as toxins and pollution. These issues not only impact the ecosystem, like a red tide from nutrient pollution killing fish, but people as well and our source of freshwater, he said. For instance, Zhang said, in many areas of Florida, especially populated areas like Miami, drinking water is pumped from the groundwater in the aquifer system beneath the surface. However, when this water is pumped it means seawater moves in and pollutes the freshwater, leaving it unavailable to use. “How to uncover and see what groundwater is doing, is what I’m studying right now,” Zhang said.

Before coming to FAU, Zhang was working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Ohio State University from 2021 to 2023. He earned a bachelor’s degree in hydrogeology from China University of Geosciences in Beijing, and a doctorate in hydrogeology through a joint program between The University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology, China.

During his studies as an undergraduate and graduate student, Zhang traveled to remote parts of China for research, including Bohai Sea off the East Coast of mainland China, Inner Mongolia of China and Xizang (also known as Tibet). For instance, as a doctoral student, Zhang said he studied the groundwater of Chinese deserts. The Badain Jaran Desert in China is home to the tallest stationary dunes on Earth that reach more than 1,600 feet high. Scattered throughout this desert are more than 100 lakes. “How these lakes can exist in this very dry area is a mystery for me and for all other scientists,” he said.

A desire to work with cutting-edge technology and software in his field led him to a postdoctoral fellowship in the U.S., and now as an assistant professor at FAU, where he is recruiting potential doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows from around the world, like China, India, Iran, and Bangladesh.

“My dream came true,” said Zhang, who traveled the world studying water everywhere from cruising on the Bohai Sea, driving in the sand in the Badain Jaran Desert, and visiting the headwater of Yellow River in the Earth’s Third Pole of the Tibetan Plateau. Zhang is now an assistant professor in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

His current research focuses on understanding the impact of climate on groundwater quality relative to sea-level rise and extreme weather events. “People require at least 90 liters of water a day, so it’s important we know where our water comes from and what’s in it,” said Zhang, who recently joined FAU’s new FAU School of Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sustainability, a partnership between the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. “In the new research center, I am sure I can collaborate with researchers with different backgrounds,” he said. “I can also use my knowledge and background to contribute to the new school’s growth, as well as improve the world’s water.”