My lab group's research examines the geochemical and mass transport properties of porous media, with a focus on systems that are strongly influenced by interfacial liquid water (clayey soils, fine-grained sedimentary formations, nanoporous silica coatings, adsorbed water films in unsaturated media). My research approach integrates atomistic simulations, laboratory experiments, and reactive transport models to gain insight into the manner in which the fundamental properties of surface water influence geochemistry and mass fluxes in porous media at the continuum scale. At the present time, my group is investigating the barrier properties of natural and engineered clayey media (shale, mudstone, bentonite), trapping mechanisms in geologic carbon sequestration, and the molecular basis of kinetic isotope effects.
