Pingping Meng, PhD
Assistant Professor
Welcome to the Emerging Contaminant Lab! We are part of the Department of Chemistry at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Research in our lab focuses on the occurrence, transport, human exposure, and remediation of emerging contaminants in the environment, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Learn more about our Research, meet the Team, and find out how to Join Us.
Pingping Meng, PhD.
Assistant Professor, 2023-present
Postdoctoral researcher, North Carolina State University (2019-2023)
Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, Tsinghua University (2019)
BS, Environmental Engineering, Tsinghua University (2014)
Pingping grew up in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China, and earned both her BSc (2014) and PhD (2019) in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University. She joined the Chemistry Department at East Carolina University as an assistant professor in August 2023. Her research focuses on the occurrence, transport, human exposure, and remediation of emerging contaminants in the environment. During her free time, Pingping enjoys swimming, reading, watercolor painting, and outdoor adventures such as hiking, cycling, and camping in State/National parks. From March to October, Pingping spends most weekends in the mountains with her husband and their dog Ginger.
Pingping grew up in a small water town in Zhejiang Province, China. Proud to be a first-generation college student (and first high school graduate), she made it far by obtaining both BSc and PhD in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University. At THU, she began her research journey in the sophomore year, under the guidance of Dr. Shubo Deng, who continued to be her PhD supervisor and trained her to be a qualified researcher. Her undergraduate and PhD research investigated the behavior of PFAS at air-water interface and PFAS removal by sorption techniques.
During her PhD, Pingping spent one year as a visiting student in Dr. Ian Cousin’s lab at Stockholm University, Sweden, working on PFAS long-range transportation via sea spray aerosol. At SU, Pingping got the chance to work with scientists outside of her area and learned the charm and importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Other than research, the gender equality and work-life balance she experienced during that time are priceless, which we will keep promoting in this lab.
After getting her PhD, Pingping joined Dr. Detlef Knappe’s group at North Carolina State University, where she received four years of postdoc training and shaped her academic goals. Her postdoc research investigated (1) human exposure to PFAS through dietary uptake in impacted communities, (2) efficient water treatment techniques to reduce human exposure and (3) developing sampling, extraction and analytical methods for the quantification of a wide range of PFAS.
During her free time, Pingping enjoys swimming, reading and watercolor painting. Pingping and her husband love the outdoor lifestyle in North Carolina and enjoy hiking, cycling and camping in State/National parks. From March to October, they will spend most weekends in the mountains with their dog Ginger.