Team

Zhi Li, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Zhi Li is the principal investigator of the Environmental Flow Computing Lab. Before joining UConn, he worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

  • Ph.D., Water Resources Engineering & Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • M.S., Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University
  • B.S., Geology, Nanjing University

Nishat Anan

Ph.D. student

Nishat joined the lab in Fall 2025. She holds a Civil Engineering bachelor’s degree from BUET. She is interested in advancing hydrological and hydraulic modeling for sustainable water resource management.

  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Aayushman Subedi

Ph.D. student

Aayushman joined the lab in Fall 2026, right after he completed his master’s degree from New Mexico Tech.

  • M.S., Hydrology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Kathmandu University

Prospective Students (Ph.D. & M.S.)

If you love Navier-Stokes equations and high-performance computing, please email your CV and past research experience to the PI Li.

PhD student recruitment for Fall 2026 entry has now concluded. We received more than 60 inquiries from prospective students worldwide. Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in joining our group. We currently do not plan to recruit PhD students for Fall 2027 entry. However, prospective students are welcome to contact us if interested.

Prospective master’s students who do not require GA support are always welcome to contact us and apply to UConn SoCEE.

Click to check the SoCEE graduate admission webpage for how to apply

UConn undergraduate students

We welcome UConn undergraduate students interested in gaining hands-on research experience in our group.

Opportunities may include participation in ongoing research projects, independent research, and senior thesis projects. Students from Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and other related science and engineering programs are especially encouraged to reach out. SoCEE students may also be eligible for support through the school’s undergraduate research programs. Prior research experience is not required—curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn are what matter most.

Local K-12 teachers & students

If you are interested in projects related to safe and clean water, flooding, coastal resilience, or other areas aligned with our lab’s research, please feel free to reach out. We would be happy to hear from you and explore opportunities to collaborate!

Postdocs

We do not currently have funding available to support new postdoctoral positions. However, we are very happy to welcome prospective postdoctoral researchers who have secured, or are interested in applying for, their own fellowship or other external funding. Potential funding sources include NSF postdoctoral fellowship programs in the Earth sciences and engineering, the USGS Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program, NASA postdoctoral fellowships, and other national or international fellowship programs and foundations. We would be glad to discuss potential research projects and support strong candidates in developing fellowship applications.

Visiting scholars

We define visiting scholars as researchers or faculty members from other institutions who spend a limited period with our group to collaborate on research, exchange ideas, or develop new projects.

We welcome inquiries from visiting scholars whose research interests align with ours. While we generally cannot provide financial support for visiting appointments, we are happy to host scholars supported by their home institutions, fellowships, or other external funding.