• 2026 Jul Selected for the 2026 ACS Postdoc to Faculty Workshop. Dr. Sun was selected to participate in the ACS Postdoc to Faculty Workshop, a competitive professional development program supporting postdoctoral researchers in their transition to faculty careers.
• 2026 Jul New publication in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The study investigates the metabolic basis of selenite bioconversion to selenium nanoparticles by Paenibacillus polymyxa P10 and its potential for wastewater treatment.
• 2026 Jul New publication in Environmental Science & Technology. The study reveals how nitrous oxide reversibly controls microbial arsenite oxidation and arsenic partitioning in flooded paddy soils under anoxic conditions.
• 2026 Jun Plastic degradation research presented at the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water. Dr. Sun presented recent research on plastic biodegradation in coastal environments.
• 2026 Mar Plastic biodegradation research presented at ACS Spring 2026 in Atlanta. Dr. Sun presented stable-isotope probing research identifying microbial species involved in cellulose diacetate biodegradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2026 Mar New publication in FEMS Microbiology Ecology. Led a study examining incomplete denitrifying bacteria driving N₂O fluxes in ancient Siberian permafrost microcosms.
• 2025 Dec Invited talk at Morgan State University. Presented research connecting plastic degradation with environmental pollution and health.
• 2025 Sep New publication on temperature-dependent plastic degradation in Environmental Science & Technology. The study shows how temperature controls the environmental lifetimes and microbial communities associated with cellulose diacetate degradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2025 Aug Advancing the design of circular and nonpersistent plastic products. Published research in Environmental Science & Technology using drinking straws as a case study for designing circular, sustainable, and environmentally nonpersistent consumer products.
• 2025 Aug Invited seminar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Presented research on unraveling plastic degradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2025 Jul Micro- and nanoplastics alter contaminant degradation. Published research in Toxics examining how micro- and nanoplastics affect the degradation of chlorinated solvents.
• 2025 Jun New review on permafrost microbial ecology. Contributed to a review in Permafrost and Periglacial Processes synthesizing microbial populations, processes, and future research directions in permafrost soils.
• 2025 May Plastic photodegradation research presented at the AEESP Conference. Presented research in Durham, North Carolina, on how plastic photodegradation shapes microbial communities and functions in seawater.
• 2025 Mar Temperature controls on plastic degradation presented at ACS Spring 2025. Presented research in San Diego on temperature-dependent cellulose diacetate degradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2025 Mar Plastic photodegradation and microbial responses presented at ACS Spring 2025. Presented research in San Diego on interactions between plastic photodegradation and microbial communities in seawater.
• 2025 Feb Plastic biodegradation research presented at the AAAS Annual Meeting. Dr. Sun presented research in Boston on the potential for microbial degradation of plastics in the ocean.
• 2024 Oct Material-efficient bioplastics featured in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. The study demonstrates how foaming can enable bioplastic products with reduced material use and minimal environmental persistence.
• 2024 Sep Invited talk at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Presented research on the environmental fate of conventional and next-generation plastics in the ocean.
• 2024 Mar New publication on greenhouse-gas feedbacks in The ISME Journal. The study identifies nitrous oxide inhibition of methanogenesis as an underappreciated greenhouse-gas emission feedback.
• 2024 Mar Plastic-degrading microbes presented at ACS Spring 2024. Presented research in New Orleans on microorganisms involved in cellulose diacetate biodegradation in the ocean.
• 2024 Jan New publication in ISME Communications. Led a study demonstrating how pH selects for distinct N₂O-reducing microbiomes in tropical soil microcosms.
• 2024 Jan Strategies for reducing the environmental persistence of drinking straws. Contributed to an ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering study examining strategies for reducing the environmental lifetimes of drinking straws in the coastal ocean.
• 2024 Jan New publication on bisphenol A degradation in Journal of Hazardous Materials. The study resolves the relative contributions of Mn(III) and Mn(IV) in manganese dioxide polymorphs to bisphenol A degradation.
• 2024 Jan Selected for the ASM Future Leaders Mentorship Fellowship Program. Yanchen Sun was selected for the program recognizing and supporting emerging leadership in microbiology.
• 2023 Dec New publication on plastic-degrading microbial communities in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Led a study identifying distinct microbial communities associated with cellulose diacetate biodegradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2023 Nov Invited talk at Eastman Chemical Company. Presented research translating cellulose diacetate degradation science toward high-utility, low-persistence consumer products.
• 2023 Jun Bioplastics and biogeochemical cycling presented at the WHOI Microplastics Initiative. Presented research connecting bioplastic degradation with biogeochemical cycles.
• 2023 May New Water Research paper on bisphenol A transformation. Led a study resolving Mn(III)-mediated bisphenol A degradation mechanisms and transformation products.
• 2023 May Plastic-degrading microbial communities presented at the AEESP Conference. Presented research in Boston on distinct microbial communities involved in cellulose diacetate degradation in the coastal ocean.
• 2023 Apr New publication on N₂O effects in Arctic tundra soils. Published research in Environmental Science & Technology examining how nitrous oxide inhibits methylmercury and methane formation in soil microcosms.
• 2022 Dec Permafrost N₂O research presented at the AGU Fall Meeting. Presented research in Chicago on nitrous oxide emissions from thawing permafrost microcosms.
• 2022 Aug New Waste Management paper on U.S. food loss and waste. The study quantifies environmental footprints associated with domestic plant food loss and waste and identifies potential mitigation strategies.
• 2022 Jul Invited webinar for Geosyntec Consultants. Presented research on the role of dissolved Mn(III) in the transformation of adsorbed bisphenol A.
• 2022 Jul N₂O-reducing microbiomes presented at the International Symposium on Microbial Ecology. Presented research in Lausanne on pH selection of N₂O-reducing microbiomes in tropical soil microcosms.
• 2022 Jan Invited presentation at the International Conference on the Remediation and Management of Contaminated Sediments. Presented research in Nashville on dissolved Mn(III) and the transformation of adsorbed bisphenol A.
• 2022 Jan Mn(III)-mediated bisphenol A transformation presented in Nashville. Presented a poster on the role of dissolved Mn(III) in the transformation of adsorbed bisphenol A.
• 2019 Dec Bisphenol A degradation research presented at the AGU Fall Meeting. Presented research in San Francisco on the degradation of adsorbed bisphenol A by oxidized manganese species.
• 2019 Mar Biologically mediated bisphenol A degradation presented at the ACS Spring Meeting. Presented research in Orlando on biologically mediated abiotic degradation of bisphenol A.