B.Sc. (Hons.), M.Sc. (Jilin), PhD (Regina), P.Eng., F.CSCE

• Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
• Canada Research Chair (Coastal Environmental Engineering)
• Member, Royal Society of Canada (College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists)
• Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada

Contact Information

Ph: 709-864-3301
Em: bzhang[at]mun.ca
Office: EN2110B
Twitter: @Helen_MUN_Civil

Personal profile

Dr. Zhang is a full professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS) at Memorial University of Newfoundland (Memorial). She joined the faculty in 2010. In 2017, Dr. Zhang was granted the award for serving as Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Coastal Environmental Engineering. In 2019-2020, she served as acting associate dean (research) of FEAS. Dr. Zhang is a registered professional engineer in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Research interests/highlights

Dr. Zhang founded the Coastal Environment Research Laboratory (CERL) at Memorial University, targeting the development of bio-based products and technologies for monitoring and mitigating marine and coastal pollution. She is a key researcher of the Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution (NRPOP) Control Laboratory, tackling the occurrence, transport, fate, impact and control of organic, especially emerging, contaminants. Dr. Zhang’s research expertise and interests lie in the areas of marine oil spill response, coastal/inland site remediation, coastal wastewater treatment, ocean carbon dioxide removal, offshore reservoir souring control and fishery/municipal solid waste management. Through her leading-edge research, she aims to contribute to handling coastal oil and emerging contamination, driving ocean economies to be more sustainable and productive under a changing climate.

Since joining Memorial, Dr. Zhang has led or co-led over 50 research grants/contracts from diverse sources. She has (co-)authored over 300 publications, including more than 160 refereed articles in top-notch journals (e.g., Water Research, Environmental Science and Technology, and the Journal of Hazardous Materials). Her research has been widely recognized in newsletters, magazines, and media interviews such as Canadian Reclamation, Context Magazine, Genome Atlantic e-Bulletin, Natural Resources Magazine, and CFI featured stories.

Services/honours/awards

Dr. Zhang has served on prestigious boards and committees such as Senior Expert of the United Nations Development Programme, Atlantic Region Director of the Canadian Association on Water Quality, and Chair of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering NL Section. She is the associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, editor of the Journal of Hazardous Materials, and guest editor/editorial board member for multiple journals.

Dr. Zhang has received many awards and honors, such as Memorial President's Award for Outstanding Research, NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement Award, CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund Award, CFI Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund Award, and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship. She is an elected Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, and a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.