Yong Zhang

Yong Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama, serving as Undergraduate Program Director. His research focuses on stochastic hydrology, contaminant transport in soil/water/aquifers (including heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics, and antibiotics), and surface water-groundwater interaction. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of California, Davis; Desert Research Institute; and Colorado School of Mines. Current research includes the 'Groundwater 2070' project in Baldwin County, Alabama, addressing climate change impacts and seawater intrusion.

Education: BS in Hydrogeology and Geo-Engineering (Nanjing University, 1993), PhD in Hydrology and Water Resources (Nanjing University, 1998). He teaches courses like GEO 101, GEO 306, and specialized topics such as Fractional Calculus and Hydrogeophysics. His work integrates fractional calculus with hydrogeology, yielding models for non-Fickian transport and pollutant source identification.

Students under his advisement include Jonathan Frame, Chaloemporn Ponprasit, and Hossein Gholizadeh. Research outputs emphasize environmental geochemistry, numerical modeling, and groundwater sustainability. Notable collaborations involve Dr. Geoff Tick on co-advised PhD students.