Jiarui Lei

Biography

Jiarui “Gary” LEI is an MIT-trained Ph.D. with experience in environmental fluid mechanics. He has worked extensively in aquatic environments studying the interaction between water and various types of plants. Specifically, he focuses on understanding how hydrodynamics may affect the plants’ survival, growth, and ability to curb erosion. Dr. Lei also extends his research into seagrass/mangrove ecosystems, where he studies how carbon sequestration is connected to the local hydrodynamics.

Before joining NUS, he was a postdoc associate at MIT and a visiting lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He received his Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT in 2019, B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2014, and another B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2014.

Qualifications

• Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019
• B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 2014
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2014

Career History

• Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore, 2021 – present
• Visiting Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2020 – 2021
• Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019 – 2021

Selected Honours & Awards

• James B. Angell Scholar, University of Michigan, 2014
• Civil and Environmental Engineering Scholarship, University of Michigan, 2013
• Dean’s List, University of Michigan, 2013 – 2014
• University Honors, University of Michigan, 2013 – 2014