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People

LI Hailong

Chair Professor

0755-88018015

lihailong@sustech.edu.cn

Brief Biography Research Teaching Published Works

General Profile:

Hailong Li received his B.S. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Fudan University, and his Ph.D. in Hydrogeology from the University of Hong Kong. He is currently a Chair Professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). His research focuses on multi-component fluids and multiphase flow in coastal aquifers and its ecological and environmental impacts. Prof. Li was awarded the “Chutian Scholar” by Hubei Province in 2008, the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2010, the State Council Special Government Allowance for Outstanding Contributions in Natural Science Education in 2015, and the Dayu Water Science and Technology Award (3/12) in 2022. He has published over 230 academic papers, including more than 170 SCI papers in leading international journals such as Science, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Nature Geoscience, Science China Earth Sciences, Geophysical Research Letters, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Water Resources Research, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Journal of Hydrology, Advances in Water Resources, and Water Resources. His work has been cited over 7,000 times, with an H-index of 49 (Google Scholar). He has been listed as an Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researcher (2020, 2022, 2023) and among the World's Top 2% most-cited Scientists in 2024. He holds 13 granted national patents in China.

Prof. Li currently serves on the editorial boards of Advances in Water Resources and Water Science and Engineering. He was formerly Associate Editor of Hydrogeology Journal (IAH, 2012-2015), and editorial board member of Journal of Salt Lake Research (2015-2022), Science China Earth Sciences (10th Editorial Board, 2013-2017), Journal of Biomathematics (2005-2008), and Science Bulletin (English Edition, Groundwater Special Issue, 2013). He has frequently been invited to deliver plenary presentations at major international conferences in his field. Prof. Li has led six projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), including Distinguished Young Scholars, Key Program, and General Program grants, as well as projects under the Ministry of Science and Technology’s National Basic Research Program (973 Program) and Key R&D Program. He is currently leading one NSFC Key Program Project and one National Key R&D project.

Representative Contributions:

1. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and its ecological effects in Chinese coastal bays

Prof. Li developed a novel method using radium and radon isotopes and salinity to estimate submarine fresh groundwater discharge. He was among the first internationally to highlight the critical role of recirculating seawater as a source term in mass balance models of radium and radon isotopes. Applied these methods to quantify SGD fluxes in Bohai Bay, Laizhou Bay, Jiaozhou Bay, Daya Bay, and the entire Chinese continental coastline, and assessed their impacts on nutrient budgets, primary productivity, and ecological conditions. He also evaluated heavy metal pollution in Bohai Sea sediments and its effects on benthic microbial communities. Results were published in Science China: Earth Sciences, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Water Research, Journal of Geophysical Research: Ocean, Journal of Hydrology, and Environmental Pollution, with the author serving as corresponding author.

2. Mechanisms of long-term oil retention in polluted beaches

By integrating hydrogeology, groundwater hydrodynamics, and biogeochemistry, he revealed the mechanism of long-term retention of oil spills in gravel and sandy beaches after contamination. Findings were published as a first-author article in Nature Geoscience (featured on the back cover, reported by Nature News and the UK's New Scientist magazine), with over 200 citations. Related results were also published in Water Resources Research and Journal of Geophysical Research: Ocean, recognized as “Featured Article”, and reported in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) journal EOS under “Journal Highlights”.

3. Groundwater-nutrient dynamics in intertidal wetlands

Combining field observations and numerical simulations to quantify groundwater flow, salinity transport, and nutrient fluxes in diverse Chinese intertidal wetlands (including mangroves, salt marshes, sandy beaches, mudflats, and estuarine tidal flats). His work provided the first quantitative assessment of nutrient fluxes and ecological impacts across Laizhou Bay, Jiaozhou Bay, Daya Bay, and Dongzhai Harbor (Hainan). These studies were published in Geophysical Research Letters, Water Resources Research, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Advances in Water Resources, Journal of Hydrology, and Hydrogeology Journal, with the author serving as corresponding author. The related papers have won the Second Prize for Outstanding Academic Papers in Natural Sciences in Hubei Province.

4. Tide-induced air flow in coastal soils

Using two-phase water-gas flow models, he revealed the unique engineering and ecological effects of tide-driven gas flow in coastal soils. His research explained the cause of large, circular, mound-like uplift with several meters in radius that occurred on the runway of Hong Kong International Airport during the 1999 rainy season. This work was published in Geophysical Research Letters and highlighted in the AGU(American Geophysical Union)'s “Journal Highlights.” From the perspective of root respiration, his study also provided a quantitative explanation of a mechanism previously reported in Science, namely that intertidal wetland plants tend to grow best near tidal channels. The related findings were published in Water Resources Research.

5. Sea wave energy propagation in coastal aquifers

Established a mechanistic framework for sea wave energy transmission in coastal aquifers, accounting for tidal loading, semi-permeable seabed layers, elastic storage, and aquifer interference. This explained cases where near-shore groundwater levels fluctuate in phase with tides, and the framework was successfully applied in Yantai (China), Adelaide and Garden Island (Australia), and Hawaii (USA). Findings were published as the first author in Water Resources Research, Advances in Water Resources, and Journal of Hydrology. One paper won the Second Prize for Natural Science Academic Achievements in Liaoning Province in 2005.

 

Current Position：

Chair Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech), Shenzhen 518055, P.R. China.

 

Professional Experience:

Chair Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, P.R. China. (Aug 2021 - Present)

Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, P.R. China. (Jun 2020 - Jul 2021)

Professor, School of Water Resources and Environmental Science, China University of Geosciences-Beijing, Beijing 100083, P.R. China. (Dec 2009-May 2020)

Professor, Anshan Normal University, Anshan(Aug 1999 – Nov 2009)

Associate Professor, Anshan Normal University (Jul 1998 – Aug 1999)

Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences(Oct 1994 – Jul 1998)

Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences(Jul 1991 – Sep 1994)

 

Visiting and Part-Time Academic Appointments:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA (Jun 2006 – Mar 2009; sponsored by host institution)

Visiting Scholar, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Jul 2005 – Sep 2005; sponsored by host institution)

Visiting Scholar, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (May 2004 – Nov 2004; sponsored by host institution)

Part-Time Ph.D. Advisor, China University of Geosciences–Wuhan, Wuhan, P.R. China (Jan 2004 – Sep 2011)

Visiting Professor & Chutian Scholar, China University of Geosciences–Wuhan, Wuhan, P.R. China (Jan 2004 – Apr 2011)

Visiting Scholar, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Sep 2003 – Dec 2003; sponsored by host institution)

Visiting Scholar, Institute of Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China (Apr 1999 – Jun 1999)

Visiting Scholar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany (Oct 1996 – Oct 1997)

 

Education:

PhD in Hydrogeology, Earth Sciences Department, The University of Hong Kong (Oct 1999 – Feb 2003)

Thesis title: Tide-induced groundwater and air flows in coastal aquifer systems

MSc in Applied Mathematics, Mathematics Department, Fudan University (Sep 1988 – Jul 1991)

Thesis title: Theoretical foundations of numerical methods for the SP well-logging

BSc in Applied Mathematics, Mathematics Department, Fudan University (Sep 1984 – Jul 1988)

Thesis title: Finite element method for the SP well-logging

 

Academic part-time positions and services:

1.Member of Editorial Board of Advances in Water Resources, a top journal in the field of water resources, water environments and hydrology.  (Jan 2021-Present)

2. Member of Editorial Board, Water Science and Engineering, 4th Editorial Board (Jan 2018– Present)

3. Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Salt Lake Research (Jan 2015– Dec 2022)

4. Associate Editor of Hydrogeology Journal, Official Journal of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH).  (Jan 2012– Dec 2015)

5. Member of Editorial Board of Science China Earth Science. (Jan 2013 – Dec 2017)

6. Member of Editorial Board of Journal of Biomathematics (An English-Chinese journal, 2005– 2008)

7. Member, Isotope Subcommittee of the China National Committee for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) (Oct 2020 – Present)

8. Member of American Geophysical Union (AGU)

9. Member of European Geophysical Union (EGU)

10. Member of the International Association of Hydrologists (IAH)

11. Member of American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE)

12. Reviewer for: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; Geophysical Research Letters; Water Resources Research; Advances in Water Resources; Science of The Total Environment; Journal of Hydrology; Ground Water; Hydrogeology Journal; Environmental Fluid Mechanics; Hydrological Processes; ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering; Water Resources Management, Limnology & Oceanography, Acta Oceanologica Sinica.

 

Awards and Honors:

1. 2022 Dayu Water Conservancy Science and Technology Award Second Prize (ranked third)

2. Selected as Elsevier's 2020, 2022, 2023 Highly Cited Chinese Scholars, World's Top 2% Scientists 2024

3. Best Reviewer of the Year 2018, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, a major international academic journal in the field

4. Special Government Allowance from the State Council of the People's Republic of China (in recognition of outstanding contributions to the cause of natural science education in China), No. 2014182088, Award Date: January 29, 2015

5. Best Reviewer of the Year 2013 and 2014, Advances in Water Resources, a major international academic journal in the field.

6.The following paper was awarded the Second Prize for Outstanding Academic Papers in Natural Science by the Hubei Association for Science and Technology, the Hubei Department of Human Resources and Social Security, and the Hubei Department of Science and Technology in October 2014:

Xia, Y. Q. (student), and HL Li (corresponding author) (2012), A combined field and modeling study of groundwater flow in a tidal marsh, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16(3), 741-759.

7. Recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2010

8. Appointed as a Hubei Province Chutian Scholar in 2008.

9. Awarded Second Prize in the Academic Paper Category by the Liaoning Natural Science Academic Achievement Award Review Committee(Aug. 30, 2005)

Award title: “Li Hailong, Analytical Study of Subsurface Water Flow Caused by Tidal Forces in Coastal Aquifer Systems.”

10. Recognized as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Youths of Anshan City in 2002.

11. Awarded the title of Outstanding Young Scientist by the Lanzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

12. Honored as an Outstanding Undergraduate Graduate by the Shanghai Municipal Government.

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