- Rm. 218, DESE Building
- 054) 279-2290
- saeyunk@postech.ac.kr
- Rm. 218, DESE Building
- 054) 279-2290
- saeyunk@postech.ac.kr
We practice environmental forensics to trace pollutant sources and pathways. We use stable isotopes of mercury and other heavy metals across ecosystems, from the environment to wildlife. A key goal of our lab is to turn these findings into evidence for risk assessment and public policy.
- 2015
- Ph.D., University of Michigan (Earth and Environmental Sciences)
- 2009
- B.S., Queen’s University (Biology)
2015.09 – 2017.10 Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
Gyeongbuk Science and Technology Award, Women Scientist Division, South Korea (2025)
Young Researcher Award, KSEE (Korean Society of Environmental Engineers), South Korea (2020)
Motta, L.C., Lim, S.H., Blum, J.D., Lee, Y.-H., Kang, D.-J., Kwon, S.Y., 2025. Anthropogenic mercury migration from Asia to the open ocean. Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 669.
Kim, Y.-G., Yoon, J.W., Kang, S., Shin, K.-H., Hyun, J.-H., Ra, K., Kim, J.-H., Kwon, S.Y., 2025. Impacts of dam construction on mercury methylation and bioaccumulation revealed by stable isotopes. Environmental Pollution, 372, 125970.
Besnard, L., Ra, K., Kim, Y.G., Lepoint, G., Jung, S., Kwon, S.Y., 2025. Bivalves as a mercury bioindicator: A National Isotopic Survey along the Coast of South Korea. Environmental Sciecne & Technology, 59, 1745-1755.
Lim, S.H., Kim, Y., Motta, L.C., Yang, E.J., Rhee, T.S., Hong, J.K., Han, S., Kwon, S.Y., 2024. Near surface oxidation of elemental mercury leads to mercury exposure in the Arctic Ocean biota. Nature Communications, 15, 7598.
Zhao, L., Zhang, H., Wang, Y., Li, X., Chen, J., Liu, G., Kwon, S.Y., 2024. Soil Geobacteraceae are the key predictors of neurotoxic methylmercury bioaccumulation in rice. Nature Food, 5, 954–961.
Kim, Y.G., Kwon, S.Y., Washburn, S.J., Hong, Y.S., Han, S.H., Lee, M., Park, J.H., 2024. Environmental forensics approach to source investigation in a mercury contaminated river: Insights from mercury stable isotopes. Journal of hazardous materials, 461, 132559.
Yang, Y.H., Kwon, S.Y., Tsui, M.T.K., Motta, L.C., Washburn, S.J., Park, J., Kim, M.-S., Shin, K.-H., 2022. Ecological Traits of Fish for Mercury Biomonitoring: Insights from Compound-Specific Nitrogen and Stable Mercury Isotopes. Environmental Science & Technology, 56, 15, 10808-10817
Li, M.-L., Kwon, S.Y., Poulin, B.A., Tsui, M.T.K., Motta, L.C., Cho, M., 2022. Internal Dynamics and Metabolism of Mercury in Biota: A Review of Insights from Mercury Stable Isotopes. Environmental Science & Technology, 56, 13, 9182-9195.
Lee, J.H., Kwon, S.Y., Yin, R., Motta, L.C., Kurz, A.Y., Nam, S.-I., 2021. Spatiotemporal characterization of mercury isotope baselines and anthropogenic influences in lake sediment cores. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 35, 10.
Kwon, S.Y., Blum, J.D., Yin, R., Tsui, M.T.K., Yang, Y.H., Choi, J.W., 2020. Mercury stable isotopes for monitoring the effectiveness of the Minamata convention on Mercury. Earth-Science Reviews, 203, 103111.