Mary Kang
Title:
Assistant Professor
Academic title(s):
P.Eng., Ph.D.
Biography:
Professor Kang’s main research areas are groundwater hydrology and environmental impacts of subsurface-based energy development. Application areas include groundwater impacts and greenhouse gas emissions related to oil and gas development and geologic storage of carbon dioxide. Her current projects involve (1) the development of analytical, numerical, and combined analytical-numerical multi-scale models of multi-phase flow through porous media, (2) field measurements of gas fluxes, and (3) geospatial and statistical data analysis. Fluids of interest include carbon dioxide, methane and other hydrocarbons, and water.
Degree(s):
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University
Ph.D., Princeton University
Policy Certificate, Princeton University
B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., University of Waterloo
Areas of expertise:
- Groundwater hydrology
- Multi-phase flow through porous media
- Environmental engineering
- Environmental policy
- Methane emissions
- Oil and gas development
Courses:
Position:
Assistant Professor
Office:
817 Sherbrooke Street West, Rm: 475D
Research areas:
Environmental Engineering
TISED
Brace Water Centre
Awards, honours, and fellowships:
- United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2016-2017
- Rising Environmental Leaders Program, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, 2015
- American Geophysical Union Outstanding Student Paper Award, 2013
- Perkin’s Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, 2012-2014
- Princeton Energy and Climate Scholarship, Princeton Environmental Institute, 2011-2013
- National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Doctorate Scholarship, 2010-2013
- Nonlinearities and Upscaling in Porous Media Conference Travel Award, 2013
- Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics Student Travel Award, 2013
- Princeton University Civil and Environmental Engineering Travel Award, 2011, 2013
- NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship, 2005-2006
- University of Waterloo President’s Graduate Scholarship, 2005-2006
- University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Upper Year Scholarship, 2001-2002
- Korean Canadian Scholarship Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship, 2001-2002
Selected publications:
- Kang, Mary, Jan M. Nordbotten, Florian Doster and Michael A. Celia, 2014. Analytical solutions for two-phase subsurface flow to a leaky fault considering vertical flow effects and fault properties. Water Resources Research. DOI: 10.1002/2013WR014628
- Kang, Mary, Cynthia M. Kanno, Matthew C. Reid, Xin Zhang, Denise L. Mauzerall, Michael A. Celia, Yuheng Chen, and Tullis C. Onstott, 2014. Direct measurements of methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1408315111
- Kang, Mary, Ejeong Baik, Alana R. Miller, Karl W. Bandilla, and Michael A. Celia, 2015. Effective permeabilities of abandoned oil and gas wells: Analysis of Data from Pennsylvania. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00132
- Jackson, Robert B., Ella R. Lowry, Amy Pickle, Mary Kang, Dominic DiGiulio, and Kaiguang Zhao, 2015. The depths of hydraulic fracturing across the United States. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01228
- Kang, Mary, and Robert B. Jackson, 2016. Salinity of deep groundwater in California: Water quantity, quality, and protection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600400113
- Kang, Mary, Shanna Christian, Michael A. Celia, Denise L. Mauzerall, Markus Bill, Alana R. Miller, Yuheng Chen, Mark E. Conrad, Thomas H. Darrah, and Robert B. Jackson, 2016. Identification and characterization of high methane-emitting abandoned oil and gas wells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605913113.
Professional activities:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- International Society for Porous Media (INTERPORE)