Jiyong Lee
Tell us about yourself:
My name is Jiyong Lee. I am a PhD candidate working with Professor Michele Guala in the department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering and the St Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) at the University of Minnesota. I was born and raised in South Korea and received my B.S. and M.S. in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Hanyang University, Seoul, before joining SAFL.
What is your research about?
Bedforms are wavy (or rhythmic) bed surface patterns observed in fluvial environments, created by excessive bed shear stress in water flows. My study focuses on quantifying morphology and kinematics of subaqueous bedforms under various hydraulic conditions and estimating the amount of the sediment carried by those bedforms. I use a dataset of high spatio-temporal resolution channel bathymetry evolution, sediment mass flux, and pointwise temporal bed evolution, measured in a large-scale open channel flume (the Main Channel at SAFL). With the dataset, I quantify bedform characteristics using a bedform tracking tool and spectral analysis, and develop a semi-empirical model for the sediment transport associated with migrating bedforms. Beyond disentangling the fundamental processes of bedform dynamics, I am also involved in an applied project for sustainable sediment management around a hydropower dam.
What excites you about your research?
I was quite surprised when I first heard that the accuracy in estimates for the sediment transport associated with migrating bedforms can be often off by orders of magnitudes. Despite decades of research, there is a lot we do not know about bedform dynamics and sediment transport due to their large spatio-temporal variability. This indicates that there are plenty of research opportunities. I have always been excited about filling this knowledge gap and advancing our understanding on the bedform dynamics and sediment transport.
What broader importance does your research have for society?
Bedforms and sediment transport are the fundamental elements in river morphodynamics. Thus, my research has broad implications for better designing river restoration projects and risk management, monitoring sediment budget, and evaluating landscape sustainability, all of which will guide the development of sustainable technologies in rivers.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Earth Science?
I find my inspiration in Earth Science on a daily basis. To me, Earth science is a study of our surroundings. I am fascinated whenever I see some interesting flow patterns (or particle dynamics) and think about the science behind those phenomena. To better understand what is happening around me, I should keep my science updated.
What are you looking to do after you complete your PhD or postdoc?
I am in the last year of my PhD and looking for a postdoc. After all the necessary training, I want to land in a position at a research oriented university and lead my own research team working on sediment transport, bedform dynamics, fluid mechanics, turbulence, and more.
Given unlimited funding and access to resources, what is your dream project that you would pursue?
This is a good question. The difficulty in studying river morphodynamics is that there is simultaneous mutual feedback among main processes. For example, the exerted bed shear stress by flows influence the amount of sediment transport, making bedforms grow or decay; and the changes in bedform morphology affects the flows in turn. There are not many facilities where these processes can be monitored at the same time. Thus, I would like to hire a team of brilliant scientists and engineers to build a very large scale open channel flume, capable of simultaneously monitoring all of these processes: mean and turbulent flow structures, suspended- and bed-load transport, and spatio-temporal bathymetry evolution.
What else do you do? Any hobbies or interests outside of work?
Besides my work, I enjoy listening to music, singing, working out at a gym, and watching TV series.
If you would like, please provide a link to your personal website.
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=x-1-YmgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Twitter: @SciJiyong