Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
335C Link Hall
tezeng@syr.edu
315.443.1099
Degrees:
- Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, 2012.
- M.S. Environmental Science and Engineering, Singapore Stanford Partnership, 2007.
- B.S. Environmental Science, Tongji University, 2006.
Areas of Expertise:
- Occurrence and fate of organic micropollutants
- Environmental photochemistry of organic matter
- Formation and control of water treatment byproducts
- Wastewater surveillance for substance use assessment
Our group combines collaborative field sampling, organic trace analysis, and data analytics tools to study chemical processes in natural and engineered aquatic systems. Our research primarily focuses on the occurrence and fate of organic micropollutants in surface waters and groundwater, the impacts of harmful algal blooms and lake browning on organic matter photochemistry, and the formation and control of byproducts during water treatment and reuse. Our team also develops analytical methods based on high-resolution mass spectrometry to support substance use assessment through wastewater surveillance in New York.
Honors:
- Expanding Chemistry in SETAC Award, Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (2023)
- NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2022)
- Mentor of the Year, Center for Fellowship & Scholarship Advising, Syracuse University (2022)
- Meredith Teaching Recognition Award, Syracuse University (2020)
- North America New Chemist Travel Award, Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (2017)
- Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (2017)
- ExCEEd Teaching Fellowship, American Society of Civil Engineers (2016)
Selected Publications:
- Vogel, E. J.; Neyra, M.; Larsen, D. A.; Zeng, T., Target and nontarget screening to support capacity scaling for substance use assessment through a statewide wastewater surveillance network in New York. Environmental Science & Technology 2024, 58 (19), 8518-8530.
- Wasswa, J.; Perkins, M.; Matthews, D. A.; Zeng, T., Characterizing the impact of cyanobacterial blooms on the photoreactivity of surface waters from New York lakes: A combined statewide survey and laboratory investigation. Environmental Science & Technology 2024, 58 (18), 8020-8031.
- Pu, C.; Zeng, T., Comparative evaluation of chemical and photolytic denitrosation methods for chemiluminescence detection of total N-nitrosamines in wastewater samples. Environmental Science & Technology 2023, 57 (19), 7526-7536.
- Wang, S.; Basijokaite, R.; Murphy, B. L.; Kelleher, C. A.; Zeng, T., Combining passive sampling with suspect and nontarget screening to characterize organic micropollutants in streams draining mixed-use watersheds. Environmental Science & Technology 2022, 56 (23), 16726-16736.
- Wang, S.; Wasswa, J.; Feldman, A. C.; Kabenge, I.; Kiggundu, N.; Zeng, T., Suspect screening to support source identification and risk assessment of organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment of a Sub-Saharan African urban center. Water Research 2022, 220, 118706.