Feng "Frank" Xiao

o Tenured Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri (1/2023-present).

o Assistant and Tenured Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota (8/2015 - 12/2022).

o Founder and Director of Natural Resources Initiative, College of Engineering & Mines, University of North Dakota (1/2022 - 11/2022).

o Co-founder and Associate Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Research Institute, College of Engineering & Mines, University of North Dakota (8/2021 - 11/2022).

o Postdoctoral Fellow, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Supervisor: Dr. Joseph Pignatello (1/2013 – 8/2015).

o Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Supervisor: Dr. John Gulliver (8/2012 – 1/2013).

o Teaching/Research Assistants, University of Minnesota (9/2009 – 7/2012).

o Full-time Research Fellow, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (8/2006 – 8/2009).


Ph.D. (2009–2012)

Civil Engineering (major); Environmental Health Sciences (minor)

Advisors: John Gulliver, Matt Simcik (co-advisor) 

University of Minnesota


M.Sc (2003–2006)

Environmental Engineering

Advisor: Jun Ma (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering)

Harbin Institute of Technology


B.S. (1999–2003)

Water Supply and Drainage Engineering

Harbin Institute of Technology


Water treatment;  emerging contaminants (e.g., per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances); environmental analytical chemistry; porous/pyrogenic carbonaceous materials (black carbon; biochar);  nonpoint source pollution control;  oilfield produced water.


o NSF CAREER Award. (NSF Award Search: Award # 2047062 - CAREER: ERASE-PFAS: Mechanistic Investigation of Thermal Decomposition of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Soil Environment)  (PI: Feng Xiao).

    $500,000 (5/1/2021 - 4/30/2026).

o NSF. (NSF Award Search: Award # 1833975 - Support for Academically Talented STEM Scholars at the University of North Dakota) (PI: Feng Xiao; co-PIs: Xiaodong Zhao; Julia Zhao; Naima Kaabouch; Deborah Worley).

    $649,791 (5/1/2019 - 4/30/2024).

o USEPA Early Career Award the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program (Fundamentals of Adsorption, Desorption, and Biodegradation of PFAS and Precursor Compounds in the Soil and Landfill Leachate System and An Innovative Treatment Strategy for Their Removal in Landfill Leachate and Groundwater | Research Project Database | Grantee Research Project | ORD | US EPA) (PI: Feng Xiao).

    $498,907 (8/2019 - 7/2023).

o Multiple DoD SERDP.


https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_jZoIRQAAAAJ&hl=en