His research focus is chemical transport and fate in a multimedia environment. He is especially interested in nutrient retention in soil, groundwater, river and lake by the coupled hydrological and biogeochemical processes. His teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include environmental science, biogeochemistry, Earth science, and ecology.

He has published articles in prestigious journals such as Nature Sustainability, Water Resources Research, Journal of Hydrology, and Journal of Cleaner Production. His recent research portfolio is diverse, examining the nitrate sink function of riparian zones induced by river stage fluctuations and assessing the potential of cropland soil organic carbon sequestration to contribute to China’s carbon neutrality. He also investigates the intersection of anthropogenic impacts and aquatic systems, including modeling the effects of Low Impact Development (LID) on road salt transport, analyzing the socio-economic valuation of stormwater management programs, and studying the biogeomorphic feedbacks controlling tidal marsh evolution. He has served as the UNC representative for the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science and on proposal review panels for the U.S. National Science Foundation. He is a recipient of the Wachovia Environmental Award and the Excellence in Refereeing from the American Geophysical Union.

Gu has a B.Sc. in environmental science from Nanjing University, an M.Sc. in environmental science from Sun Yat-sen University and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He served as a postdoc researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining Duke Kunshan, he held faculty positions at Appalachian State University and Beijing Normal University.

He has published articles in prestigious journals such as Nature Sustainability, Water Resources Research, Journal of Hydrology, and Journal of Cleaner Production. His recent research portfolio is diverse, examining the nitrate sink function of riparian zones induced by river stage fluctuations and assessing the potential of cropland soil organic carbon sequestration to contribute to China’s carbon neutrality. He also investigates the intersection of anthropogenic impacts and aquatic systems, including modeling the effects of Low Impact Development (LID) on road salt transport, analyzing the socio-economic valuation of stormwater management programs, and studying the biogeomorphic feedbacks controlling tidal marsh evolution. He has served as the UNC representative for the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science and on proposal review panels for the U.S. National Science Foundation. He is a recipient of the Wachovia Environmental Award and the Excellence in Refereeing from the American Geophysical Union.

Gu has a B.Sc. in environmental science from Nanjing University, an M.Sc. in environmental science from Sun Yat-sen University and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He served as a postdoc researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining Duke Kunshan, he held faculty positions at Appalachian State University and Beijing Normal University.