Welcome to the Chemical Hydrology and Mass Spectrometry Lab!

We are chemical hydrogeologists and aqueous geochemists working on environmental sustainability.

Our research focuses on issues of water resources, water availability, and understanding the cycling of different metals and organic compounds in our groundwaters, surface waters, soils, and sediments, as well as how land use pattern changes affect the distribution of such metals and pollutants in our environments. Our research projects have links to health impact assessments, targeting both human and ecosystem health.

We are also interested in studies on trace element and oxyanion migration and contamination in the environment, especially in groundwaters, urban air particulates, rice grains, and unproductive soil environments, using hydrological and geochemical tools including speciation of elements via synchrotron spectroscopy. Dr. Datta and his students travel to various sites in India, Bangladesh, Argentina, Mexico, and several states within the U.S.

We have been working in delineation of areas of groundwater problems in Kansas, Texas, and neighboring states. Additionally, recent studies of mineralization in rock-brine and supercritical CO2 mixtures in a CO2 injection scenario within subsurface saline aquifers has gained momentum in our group.

Saugata DattaI am always looking for new students!
Contact me if you are interested in graduate studies in hydrogeology and geochemistry at UTSA.
Dr. Saugata Datta
research overview »
curriculum vitae »

Postdoctoral Opportunity

The lab has an opening for a postdoctoral position in organic contaminants and low-temperature geochemistry (released November 2022).

Doctoral Student Opportunity

The lab has openings for doctoral students interested in (#1) soil physics, soil chemistry, water-rock interaction, nutrients and contaminants mobility in soils and interaction, (#2) groundwater quality, water chemistry, trace elements geochemistry, or (#3) soil physics, soil chemistry, water-rock interaction, phosphates and nutrients in soils and interaction

Recent News

MS student Ruben Olivares Jr received a Geological Society of America research grant

Undergraduate student Cassidy Lane accepted into NSF Undergraduate Research Program

MS student Ruben Olivares Jr invited speaker at 2023 iSTEM Symposium

more news

Recent Funding

USDA

Addressing the soil-microbial gap: Assessment of microbial-based soil health indicators and its efficacy for broad deployment across grasslands

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Formalize partnership between four MSIs and the US Fish and Wildlife Service focused on advancing equity in conservation and natural resources educational programs and professions

NSF EAR

RAPID: Impacts of High Magnitude Wildfire on Volcanic (Lava Tube) Cave Water Chemistry, Nutrient Transport, Activity and Diversity of Cave Microbiome

more funding