Rate My Professor Huy Dang

Huy Dang is an Associate Professor in the Trent School of the Environment at Trent University, with a cross-appointment in the Department of Chemistry. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology-Life Sciences (2009), an M.Sc. in Environmental Chemistry (2011), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry (2014), all from the University of Toulon, France. After completing his doctorate, Dang joined Trent University as a postdoctoral research associate in the School of the Environment in 2015, subsequently becoming a faculty member as Assistant Professor and advancing to Associate Professor. He leads the ENIGMA research group, focusing on environmental biogeochemistry and analytical chemistry. His research examines the fate and transport of nutrients, metals, and metalloids; develops analytical tools for emerging contaminants; and applies isotope compositions to paleoenvironmental studies and forensic geochemistry. A key emphasis is on rare earth elements, investigating their environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle—from mining and processing to recycling—to inform regulations, sustainable practices, and circular economy strategies. Dang's ENIGMA group has received Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) funding, including a $1.5 million grant for rare earth element studies affecting Canadian ecosystems.

Dang fosters extensive international collaborations across Canada, France, New Caledonia, Fiji, China, and Vietnam, serving as a board member of Trent's Water Quality Centre and as a visiting professor at the University of Marseille-Aix and University of Toulon. He developed and teaches the annual field course ERSC 3240 on the Mediterranean coast, where Trent students work with peers from France, the U.K., and China on biodiversity and pollution. His contributions have earned recognition as one of Vietnam’s top 20 young faces under 35, the Golden Globe in Science and Technology for Early Career Scientists, and the Medal for Creativity (both 2020, Vietnam), as well as the 2022 Trent University Research Impact Award with the ENIGMA group. Notable publications include "A multi-tracer approach to disentangle anthropogenic emissions from natural processes in the St. Lawrence River and Estuary" (Water Research, 2022), "Toward the circular economy of Rare Earth Elements: a review of abundance, extraction, applications, and environmental impacts," and "Mercury Mobility in Epibenthic Waters of a Deltaic Environment" (Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2024).