Welcome
I am currently a PhD student in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences of Rice University, working with Dr. Rajdeep Dasgupta. I got my Master’s degree in Geology from University of Tennessee, Knoxville with Dr. Nicholas Dygert, and my Bachelor of Engineering in Resource Exploration Engineering from China University of Petroleum in Beijing.
I am interested in experimental petrology and igneous geochemistry. My previous research involved: 1) high temperature and pressure experiments on sulfide solubility of young lunar basalts, 2) apatite-melt trace element partitioning experiments, and developing temperature and composition-dependent predictive partitioning model as well as Eu-in-apatite oxybarometers, 3) physical evolution of the lunar anorthositic crust and cumulate mantle inferred from trace element geochemical modeling, and 4) the petrogenesis of the early Cretaceous adakities in northeast China by their distribution, petrological, geochronological and isotopic characteristics.
Outside of research, I go freshwater fishing at least once a week. Driving around in search of high-quality fishing spots and reservoirs to catch those strong bass, skipjack, catfish, trout and bluegill is my greatest interest.
Mar 10, 2025: Ji gave a talk presentation on existence of garnet in the source of young lunar mare basalts at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Feb 21, 2025: Ji gave a talk on the sulfur budget of the young lunar mantle and the origin of the Chang’e-5 mare basalts at the Geochemistry/Minerology/Petrology (GMP) Lunch Bunch at Brown University!
Feb 17, 2025: Ji’s paper on sulfur budget of the young lunar mantle was accepted for publication in Geochimica et Cosmochimia Acta!
Dec 16, 2024: Ji won the 2025 Rice Space Institute Center for Planetary Origins to Habitability (CPO2H) graduate fellowship!
Dec 13, 2024: Ji gave a poster presentation on deep sulfur cycle in the young lunar mantle at the 2024 AGU Fall Meeting.
Jul 6, 2024: Ji will supervise a high-school intern, Aahan Roy, on sulfur solubility experiments of lunar basalt this Summer! Welcome, Aahan!
Apr 3, 2024: Ji passed his written Preliminary Exam!
Mar 12, 2024: Ji gave a talk presentation on a new europium in apatite-plagioclase oxybarometer at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Nov 3, 2023: Ji’s paper on apatite-melt trace element partitioning was accepted for publication in Geochimica et Cosmochimia Acta!
Oct 13, 2023: Ji participated in a field trip regarding igneous and metamorphic rocks in Valles Caldera, Los Alamos Surge Deposits, Bandelier National Monument, and Rio Grande Gorge.
Aug 15, 2023: Ji was awarded the Chair’s Fellowship by Rice University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.
Aug 1, 2023: Ji moved on to the PhD program at Rice University. Bye, Tennessee!
Jul 6, 2023: Ji defended his MS Thesis!
May 4, 2023: Ji was awarded the Virginia & James Bibee Graduate Student Professional Promise Award and the Excellence in Teaching by GTA’s Award by Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee.
May 3, 2023: Ji was awarded a MSA grant in Mineralogy-Petrology Research!
Mar 15, 2023: In the PhD program application, Ji received offers of admission from all applied programs, including Caltech, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Rice University, UT Austin, and University of Minnesota!
Mar 13, 2023: Ji gave a talk presentation on apatite-melt trace element partitioning at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Dec 7, 2022: Ji’s paper on lunar anorthositic crust was accepted in Earth and Planetary Science Letters!
Sep 30, 2022: Ji participated in the Rio Grande Rift xenolith sampling expedition in New Mexico, collecting mantle and crustal xenoliths.
May 5, 2022: Ji received the Jimmy Walls Colloquium Presentation Award from Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee.
Mar 13, 2022: Ji gave a talk presentation on lunar anorthositic crust at the 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Mar 13, 2022: Ji attended the McClung Blue Ridge Foothills Field Trip, studying the Appalachian foreland fold-thrust belt transition.
Jul 6, 2021: Ji gave a talk presentation at the 2021 Goldschmidt meeting!
Jun 1, 2021: Ji arrived in Knoxville to begin his graduate adventure!
Oct 19, 2020: Ji was awarded the Li Siguang Outstanding Student Award! This is the highest undergraduate geoscience award in China.
Nov 24, 2019: Ji’s paper on Northeast China adakite was accepted in International Geology Review.
Jul 1, 2019: Ji will be a visiting scholar at the University of Texas at Dallas working with Dr. Robert J. Stern for two months!