Hui Li, an associate professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, is the recipient of the 2017 Jackson Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy Award. The honor, presented by the Soil Science Society of America, is given to a midcareer scientist who has made outstanding contributions to soil chemistry and mineralogy.
Li was nominated for the award by Stephen Boyd, a university distinguished professor in PSMS. Nominees are judged on four criteria: significance and originality of research, excellence in creative reasoning and skill in obtaining data, quality of teaching at the undergraduate or graduate level, and impact of the research on soil science and the larger society.
“This award further demonstrates Dr. Li's stature as a national and global leader in soil chemistry,” said James Kells, PSMS chairperson. “It brings well-deserved recognition to his research program as well as to MSU, PSMS, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and MSU AgBioResearch.”
Throughout his nearly 20 years in the field, Li has established himself as an expert in the environmental fate and transformation of chemicals of emerging concern, as well as organic contaminants and pesticides in soils and their impacts on ecosystems and human health. He has also made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of the molecular-scale mechanisms involved in sorption and transformations of pharmaceuticals and organic contaminants on soil mineral surfaces.
Li will receive the award in October at the 2017 International Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America.
