Dr. Lin’s research interests are in water separation processes for addressing critical sustainability challenges. The three current research areas in his group include (1) desalination and water treatment, (2) resource extraction and recovery, and (3) brine management.  His recent work primarily focuses on advancing both the technologies and scientific understanding in membrane and electrochemical separation for water treatment and critical mineral extraction.

Dr. Lin has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals of the field and has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate (Web of Science). He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T).

Dr. Lin has received multiple awards for his scholarly achievements, with notable ones including the Paul L. Busch Award from Water Research Foundation (2020), the Walter L. Huber Research Prize (2023) from American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Early Career Award from the Association of Chinese American Professors in Environmental Engineering and Science (2020). He also won the ES&T Best Paper Award in the category Environmental Technology (2024).

Dr. Lin is passionate about training and mentoring the next generation scholars, researchers, and engineers in environmental engineering. He received the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award from Vanderbilt (2023) and is also the faculty advisor recipient of the Jacobs Engineering Group/AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2024).