Formas Early-Career Researcher Grant awarded to Haoyu Wei

Haoyu Wei, researcher at Stormwater&Sewers / Luleå University of Technology, has been awarded the Formas Career Grant for Early-Career Researchers for a new project focusing on non-invasive monitoring of infiltration in nature-based solutions (NBS). The four-year project starts in January 2026, with a total budget of SEK 6 million, and is carried out with Lund University as host organization for parts of the project.

Urban flooding and stormwater pollution are growing challenges in our cities. Nature-based solutions such as biofilters and swales play a key role in mitigating these effects - but the internal processes that govern their functioning are still largely a 'black box'.

• "In this project, we will use time-resolved electrical resistivity tomography (DC-ERT), a non-invasive geophysical method that allows us to follow how water moves and interacts with soil and plants - in real time and with high resolution. By combining laboratory tests, controlled infiltration experiments and long-term field measurements, we hope to provide new insights into how NBS responds to extreme rainfall, seasonality and long-term change. A big thank you to Formas for the trust and to colleagues and partners who make this possible," says Haoyu Wei.

• Haoyu Wei
  
• The Project