Biography
Jiarui “Gary” Lei is an assistant professor whose research focuses on environmental fluid mechanics, flow-vegetation interaction, and nature-based solutions for coastal protection. He earned his Ph.D. from MIT in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2019 and holds B.S. degrees from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His work encompasses a range of projects, from exploring wave attenuation over aquatic vegetation to advancing hybrid solutions for coastal protection and employing enhanced machine-learning techniques for underwater flow prediction. Lei’s research not only contributes to the academic field but also has significant implications for environmental sustainability and the protection of coastal communities. For more detailed information, please visit his website at www.garylei.com.
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
Teaching
- CE2134 Fluid Mechanics
- CE5308A/QA Coastal Processes and Protection
- CE5312 Open Channel Hydraulics
- CE5317B/QB Nature-based Solutions to Coastal Protection
Publications
- Huang, S., Xia, J., Wang, Y., Lei, J., & Wang, G. (2024). Water quality prediction based on sparse dataset using enhanced machine learning. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 100402.
- Huang, S., Xia, J., Wang, G., & Lei, J. (2023). The impact of flood regime on river floodplain vegetation coverage: insights from a 30-year Landsat record. Journal of Hydrology, volume 626, part B, 2023.
- Lei, J., Schaefer, R., Colarusso, P., Novak, A., Simpson, J. C., Masqué, P., & Nepf, H. (2023). Spatial heterogeneity in sediment and carbon accretion rates within a seagrass meadow correlated with the hydrodynamic intensity. Science of The Total Environment, 158685.
- Liu, C., Yan, C., Sun, S., Lei, J., Nepf, H., & Shan, Y. (2022). Velocity, turbulence and sediment deposition in a channel partially filled with a Phragmites australis canopy. Water Resources Research, e2022WR032381.
- Zhu, L, Huguenard, K, Fredriksson, DW, Lei, J (2022) Wave attenuation by flexible vegetation (and suspended kelp) with blade motion: Analytical solutions. Advances in Water Resources, p.104148.
- Lei J, Nepf H (2021) Evolution of flow velocity from the leading edge of 2-D and 3-D submerged canopies. J. Fluid Mech. 916, A36.
- Lei, J., Fan, D., Angera, A., Liu, Y., & Nepf, H. (2021). Drag force and reconfiguration of cultivated Saccharina latissima in current. Aquacultural Engineering, 94, 102169.
- Zhu, L., Lei, J., Huguenard, K., & Fredriksson, D. W. (2021). Wave attenuation by suspended canopies with cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima). Coastal Engineering, 103947.
- Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2021). Evolution of flow velocity from the leading edge of 2D and 3D submerged canopies, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 916.
- Zhang, J., Lei, J., Huai, W., & Nepf, H. (2020). Turbulence and Particle Deposition under Steady Flow along a Submerged Seagrass Meadow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125(5), e2019JC015985.
- Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2019). Blade dynamics in combined wave-current flows. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 87, 137-149.
- Tang C., Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2019). The impact of vegetation-generated turbulence on the critical wave-velocity for sediment resuspension. Water Resources Research, 55(70), 5904-5917.
- Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2019). Wave damping by flexible vegetation: Connecting individual blade dynamics to the meadow scale. Coastal Engineering, 147, 138-148.
- Liu, C., Shan, Y., Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2019). Floating treatment islands in series along a channel: The impact of island spacing on the velocity field and estimated mass removal. Advances in Water Resources, 129, 222-231.
- Hu, Z., Lei, J., Liu, C., & Nepf, H. (2018). Wake structure and sediment deposition behind models of submerged vegetation with and without flexible leaves. Advances in Water Resources.
- Liu, C., Hu, Z., Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2017). Vortex Structure and Sediment Deposition in the Wake behind a Finite Patch of Model Submerged Vegetation. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 144(2), 04017065.
- Lei, J., & Nepf, H. (2016). Impact of current speed on mass flux to a model flexible seagrass blade. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121(7), 4763-4776.