Lab members
Lab members
Embedded Files
Principal Investigator
Hanyang Li
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Assistant Professor
Department of civil, construction, and environmental engineering
San Diego State University
Dr. Li earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeast Forestry University (China) in 2014, her M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016, and her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the Ohio State University in 2020. After graduating, she worked as a postdoctoral research associate for two years at University of California, Davis Air Quality Research Center.
Prospective students
PhD Students
One Ph.D. student research position is available in Dr. Li's lab for the 2025-2026 academic year. If interested, please contact the PI at hli6@sdsu.edu, providing a resume and brief description of why you are interested in air quality research by September 15, 2025. The successful candidate will work on the NSF project "After the Flames in Post-Fire WUI Homes: Characterization of Toxic Emissions, Environmental Concentrations, and Exposures".
Fall 2026 applications will be accepted from October 1, 2025 to December 1, 2025
Information on applying to graduate programs at SDSU can be found here.
Undergraduate and Master Students at SDSU
I welcome inquiries from motivated SDSU students interested in conducting research in my lab, whether you're pursuing a Master's Thesis or looking to get involved during your undergraduate studies. You don’t need prior experience—just curiosity and a willingness to learn. Research is one of the best ways to discover whether a scientific career is the right path for you. You can find our research keywords on the Home page.
Students can enroll in an independent study for 3 units per semester or volunteer in the lab (ENV E 499, ENV E 797).
A limited number of paid research assistant positions are available for outstanding students who demonstrate strong commitment and performance. Current paid students: Jose Carias, Kamden Conley, London Fulford, Meilani Davidson, David Goldstein
High school students
Our lab offers limited summer opportunities for highly motivated high school students to get hands-on experience in environmental research. You'll learn how scientists study air pollution, work with real data, and get a better sense of whether a STEM major might be right for you. Former summer high school students: Naomika Raveendran, Ayalen Padilla
Current Students
Ehsan Goftari
Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering - joined Spring 2024
Ph.D. projects: metal particle monitoring using TARTA; Air quality after the LA fires
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Research interests: Air quality monitoring and aerosol properties
Previous lab experience: worked with Dr. Moghim on dust storms over dried lakes
Mar Balvaneda Rodriguez
M.S. Student in Environmental Engineering - joined Fall 2025
Current Project: Air Quality Mapping in Southern California
Hometown: San Diego, California
Research interests: Air quality monitoring
Previous experience: Air quality research concentrated in the Tijuana region. Modeled different contaminants with ArcGIS and published a StoryMap.
Jose Carias
Undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering
Project: Environmental justice and air quality monitoring
Hometown: Comayagua, Honduras
Research Interests: Air quality monitoring, Biodegradation
Class of 2026
Kamden Conley
Undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering
Project: WUI fire combustion experiments
Hometown: Carlsbad, California
Research interests: air quality monitoring, WUI fires
Class of 2028
London Fulford
Undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering
Project: TARTA improvement for communities
Hometown: Seattle Washington
Research interests: air quality
Class of 2028
Meilani Davidson
Undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering
Project: Post-LA fire long-term indoor monitoring
Hometown: San Diego, California
Research interest: Air quality monitoring
Class of 2026
Carson Wall
Undergraduate student in Environmental Science
Project: Toxic metal monitoring in Imperial County
Hometown: Dana Point, California
Research interests: Sustainable design, Air quality monitoring, environmental data analysis
Class of 2026
Andreas Lundberg
M.S. Student in Civil and Architectural Engineering
Exchange student in Spring 2026 (Aarhus University, Denmark)
Project: Building material analysis in Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) environments
Hometown: Aarhus, Denmark
Research Interests: Sustainability, Building materials, Life cycle assessment (LCA)
David Goldstein
Undergraduate student in Mathematics and computer science, UCSD
Project: Data dashboard development for the TARTA network
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Research Interests: Environmental data visualization
Former Students
Evan Gittings
San Diego State University
Class of 2026
(Electrical Engineering Major)
Angel Cabrera
San Diego State University
Class of 2026
(Environmental Eng Major)
Mylene Dulay
Southwestern College
2025 MESA program
Gabriel Leyva
Southwestern College
2025 MESA program
(Electrical Engineering Major)
Shane Chapman
San Diego State University
Class of 2024
(Environmental Eng Major)
Dylan Farrell
San Diego State University
Weber Honors College Research Program
Athena Chaparro
San Diego State University
Class of 2024
(Environmental Eng Major)
Cecilio Cazares
San Diego State University
Class of 2023
(Environmental Eng Major)
Jimena Castillo
San Diego State University
2023 MESA program
Naomika Raveendran
Canyon Crest Academy
Class of 2024 (high school)
Ayalen Padilla
Steele Canyon High School
2024 Upward Bound Summer Academy
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