World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Heileen Hsu-Kim

Heileen Hsu-Kim

D-Index & Metrics

Environmental Sciences

D-Index
52
Citations
10328
World Ranking
4466
National Ranking
1664

Overview

Heileen Hsu-Kim is affiliated with Duke University in the United States and has contributed extensively to the field of environmental science. Their research primarily focuses on topics related to mercury impact and mitigation, heavy metal exposure and toxicity, and the use of coal and its by-products. They also explore geochemistry and elemental analysis, extraction and separation processes, and recycling and utilization of industrial and municipal waste in materials production.

Their publication record includes papers in notable venues such as Environmental Science & Technology, where they have published 11 articles, and Environmental Science Processes & Impacts, with 4 publications. Other frequent venues include bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) with 3 papers, International Journal of Coal Geology with 2, and Fuel with 2 publications.

Hsu-Kim's recent papers demonstrate a range of environmental and biochemical research topics:

  • "Amazon forests capture high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining" (2022, Nature Communications)
  • "A biosorption-based approach for selective extraction of rare earth elements from coal byproducts" (2020, Separation and Purification Technology)
  • "Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessments for Sustainable Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Byproducts using Biosorption" (2020, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering)
  • "Biomolecular condensates regulate cellular electrochemical equilibria" (2024, Cell)
  • "Elevated Hair Mercury Levels Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Deficits in Children Living Near Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Peru" (2020, GeoHealth)

Their frequent co-authors include Nelson Rivera, William Pan, Axel Berky, Joel N. Meyer, and Ernesto Ortiz. The collaborative nature of their work spans multiple disciplines intersecting environmental science and toxicology.

The main fields of study for Heileen Hsu-Kim reveal a strong focus on Environmental Science with 52 publications. Their subfields encompass Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Geochemistry and Petrology; Pollution; Molecular Biology; and Mechanical Engineering.

The scientist's work integrates topics such as:

  • Mercury impact and mitigation studies
  • Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
  • Coal and Its By-products
  • Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
  • Heavy metals in environment
  • Extraction and Separation Processes
  • Recycling and utilization of industrial and municipal waste in materials production

Best Publications

  • Influence of Dissolved Organic Matter on the Environmental Fate of Metals, Nanoparticles, and Colloids

    George R. Aiken;Heileen Hsu-Kim;Joseph N. Ryan

  • Mechanisms Regulating Mercury Bioavailability for Methylating Microorganisms in the Aquatic Environment: A Critical Review

    Heileen Hsu-Kim;Katarzyna H. Kucharzyk;Tong Zhang;Marc A. Deshusses

  • Mechanism of silver nanoparticle toxicity is dependent on dissolved silver and surface coating in Caenorhabditis elegans.

    Xinyu Yang;Andreas P. Gondikas;Stella M. Marinakos;Melanie Auffan

  • Long-Term Transformation and Fate of Manufactured Ag Nanoparticles in a Simulated Large Scale Freshwater Emergent Wetland

    Gregory V. Lowry;Benjamin P. Espinasse;Appala Raju Badireddy;Curtis J. Richardson

  • Trends in the Rare Earth Element Content of U.S.-Based Coal Combustion Fly Ashes.

    Ross K. Taggart;James C. Hower;Gary S. Dwyer;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • Methylation of mercury by bacteria exposed to dissolved, nanoparticulate, and microparticulate mercuric sulfides.

    Tong Zhang;Bojeong Kim;Clément Levard;Brian C. Reinsch

  • Cysteine-Induced Modifications of Zero-valent Silver Nanomaterials: Implications for Particle Surface Chemistry, Aggregation, Dissolution, and Silver Speciation

    Andreas P. Gondikas;Andreas P. Gondikas;Amanda Morris;Amanda Morris;Brian C. Reinsch;Brian C. Reinsch;Stella M. Marinakos

  • Survey of the Potential Environmental and Health Impacts in the Immediate Aftermath of the Coal Ash Spill in Kingston, Tennessee

    Laura Ruhl;Avner Vengosh;Gary S. Dwyer;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • Challenges and opportunities for managing aquatic mercury pollution in altered landscapes.

    Heileen Hsu-Kim;Chris S. Eckley;Dario Achá;Xinbin Feng

  • Photolytic degradation of methylmercury enhanced by binding to natural organic ligands

    Tong Zhang;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • Precipitation of Mercuric Sulfide Nanoparticles in NOM-Containing Water: Implications for the Natural Environment

    Amrika Deonarine;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • Environmental impacts of the coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee: an 18-month survey.

    Laura Ruhl;Avner Vengosh;Gary S. Dwyer;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • River transport of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and risks for dietary mercury exposure in Madre de Dios, Peru

    Sarah E. Diringer;Beth J. Feingold;Ernesto J. Ortiz;John A. Gallis

  • Effects of Humic Substances on Precipitation and Aggregation of Zinc Sulfide Nanoparticles

    Amrika Deonarine;Boris L.T. Lau;George R. Aiken;Joseph N. Ryan

  • Silver Nanoparticle Behavior, Uptake, and Toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: Effects of Natural Organic Matter

    Xinyu Yang;Chuanjia Jiang;Heileen Hsu-Kim;Appala Raju Badireddy

  • Aqueous acid and alkaline extraction of rare earth elements from coal combustion ash

    Jack F. King;Ross K. Taggart;Ryan C. Smith;James C. Hower

  • Amazon forests capture high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining

    Unknown

  • Effects of roasting additives and leaching parameters on the extraction of rare earth elements from coal fly ash

    Ross K. Taggart;James C. Hower;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • A Critical Time for Mercury Science to Inform Global Policy

    Celia Y. Chen;Charles T. Driscoll;Collin A. Eagles-Smith;Chris S. Eckley

  • Selective Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash Leachates Using Liquid Membrane Processes

    Ryan C. Smith;Ross K. Taggart;James C. Hower;Mark R. Wiesner

  • The Impact of Coal Combustion Residue Effluent on Water Resources: A North Carolina Example

    Laura Ruhl;Avner Vengosh;Gary S. Dwyer;Heileen Hsu-Kim

  • Effects of Natural Organic Matter Properties on the Dissolution Kinetics of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles.

    Chuanjia Jiang;George R. Aiken;Heileen Hsu-Kim

Frequent Co-Authors

James C. Hower
James C. Hower University of Kentucky
Gregory V. Lowry
Gregory V. Lowry Carnegie Mellon University
Avner Vengosh
Avner Vengosh Duke University
Mark R. Wiesner
Mark R. Wiesner Duke University
Marc A. Deshusses
Marc A. Deshusses Duke University
Joel N. Meyer
Joel N. Meyer Duke University
Cole W. Matson
Cole W. Matson Baylor University
Gary S. Dwyer
Gary S. Dwyer Duke University
Michael F. Hochella
Michael F. Hochella Virginia Tech
Chuanjia Jiang
Chuanjia Jiang Nankai University

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