About

I am an Earth system scientist using coastal systems as a natural laboratory to understand how resilience, feedbacks, and predictability emerge under climate change and extreme environmental stress.

My research centers on a core question: How do processes interacting across the coastal transition zone respond to and reorganize under gradual and episodic environmental stressors? I focus on tightly coupled physical and biogeochemical dynamics that regulate system reorganization, including inundation and flooding processes, saltwater intrusion, carbon cycling, tidal wetlands functions, and benthic-pelagic coupling.

Methodologically, I develop cross-scale process-based numerical models, and integrate them with data-driven and machine learning approaches to study complex coastal systems across spatial and temporal scales. My work includes building biogeochemical and ecological components within the open-source 3D SCHISM framework, and leveraging large observational and model-generated datasets to diagnose system behavior, test mechanistic hypotheses, and advance predictive understanding of coastal Earth system processes.

Research Theme & Vision

Transforming coastal dynamics under climate change and human pressure

  • Inundation dynamics and wetland evolution
  • Saltwater intrusion and upland hydrology

    • Biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem reorganization in a warming climate

  • Intertidal zone: wetland biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas fluxes
  • Shallow water systems: benthic-pelagic coupling
  • Estuaries and coasts: carbon cycling and eutrophication dynamics

    • Predictive coastal science through integrative modeling and big data

  • Cross-scale, process-based Earth system model
  • Machine learning for coastal studies

    • Publications

    Full list of publications at Google Scholar.

    Defending Saltwater Intrusion: The Freshwater Pushback
    [preprint]

    Recognizing Salt Wave Events in Coastal Systems
    [preprint]

    Seesaw of Saltwater and Inundation Drives Methane Emissions in Coastal Tidal Wetlands
    [preprint]

    A Seamless Two-Decade Cross-Scale Model from the North American Atlantic Coast to Tidal Wetlands
    [paper]

    Sea-level Rise Impacts on Tidal Marshes and Estuarine Biogeochemical Processes
    [paper]

    The Roles of Tidal Marshes in the Estuarine Biogeochemical Processes
    [paper]

    Bifurcate Responses of Tidal Range to Sea-level Rise in Estuaries with Marsh Evolution
    [paper] [supplementary]

    Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Hypoxia and Phytoplankton Production
    [paper]

    Simulations of Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay Using an Unstructured Grid Model: Importance of Bathymetry Representation
    [paper]

    Impact of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Water Quality
    [paper]

    Datasets & Models

    Teaching

    Introductory Courses

    • Introduction to Earth System Science
    • Global Environmental Change

    Upper-Level Courses

    • Estuarine Hydrodynamics
    • Biogeochemical Cycles

    Interdisciplinary Courses

    • Data Driven Modeling in Earth and Environmental Science [syllabus]
    • Coastal Processes in a Changing Environment [syllabus]

    Research Group

    For 2027, the Cai Lab at the University of Florida are open to have 1) a postdoctoral researcher, 2) a research technician, and 3) fully funded Ph.D. students in coastal Earth system science. Postdoctoral and research staff start dates are negotiable after January 2027, while Ph.D. students will begin in Fall 2027 with tuition and stipend support provided. Details can be found here. I am also happy to work with prospective postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. students to develop applications for external fellowships.

    Interested candidates are encouraged to contact with (1) CV, (2) a two-page cover letter describing research interests, relevant experience, and career goal, and (3) List of two references with contact information.

    CV & Bio

    Full CV pdf here, Aug 2026.

    Education

    • May 2022, Ph.D., Marine Science, William & Mary | VIMS
    • Aug. 2018, M.S., Marine Science, William & Mary | VIMS
    • Jun. 2015, B.S., Oceanography, Nanjing University

    Professional Experience

      University of Florida

    • Assistant Professor at Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
    • Department of Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences | IFAS
    • 2026 (Courtesy), 2027 -

      • Yale University

    • NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at School of the Environment
    • Mentors: Pete Raymond (Yale), Holly Michael (UD), Matt Kirwan (VIMS), Sergio Fagherazzi (BU)
    • 2024 - 2026

      • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

    • ORISE Fellow at Chesapeake Bay Program Office
    • 2021 – 2024

      • University of Oldenburg, Germany

    • International Visiting Fellow at Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment
    • Host: Jörg-Olaf Wolff
    • 2017

      • William & Mary | Virginia Institute of Marine Science

    • Graduate Research Assistant at Department of Physical Oceanography
    • Advisors: Joseph Zhang, Jian Shen
    • 2015 – 2021