José Avalos
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
Andlinger Center Executive Committee
Location: 101 Hoyt Chemical Laboratory
Phone Number: 609-258-9881
Email Address: javalos@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Application and development of technologies in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering; development of microorganisms for the production of advanced biofuels, commodity chemicals, specialty chemicals, and bioplastics; biosensor and metabolic engineering for bioremediation
Research Areas: Biofuels, Pollutant Detection & Remediation, Renewable Energy
Ian Bourg
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: E416 Engineering Quad
Phone Number: 609-258-4541
Email Address: bourg@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Research examines the fundamental properties of interfacial water and their impact on geochemistry, mechanics, and mass fluxes in soils and sedimentary environments. Current projects focus on understanding how clay minerals control hydraulic permeability and the fate and transport of organic compounds.
Research Areas: Carbon Capture & Storage, Hydrology, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Claire Gmachl
Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Andlinger Center Executive Committee
Head of Whitman College
Location: B227A Engineering Quad
Phone Number: 609-258-7489
Email Address: cgmachl@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Mid-infrared sensing applications in environment using high-performance quantum cascade lasers; instrument development for remote sensing of pollutants; field deployments of environmental sensors; laser development for mid-infrared, trace-chemical sensors
Research Areas: Carbon Capture & Storage, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Peter Jaffé
William L. Knapp '47 Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Andlinger Center Executive Committee
Location: E411 Engineering Quad E-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-4653
Email Address: jaffe@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Biogeochemical cycles applied to environmental remediation, especially water quality and soils. Bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater; biogeochemical cycling in wetlands including immobilization of toxic metals; methane emissions from rice paddies; nitrogen transformation in urban streams and hydrological infrastructure; linking water quality models with climate change models; bioremediation of recalcitrant pollutants, including PFAS; energy efficient methods for nitrification and denitrification.
Research Areas: Climate Change, Impact of Energy & Land Use, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Ryan Kingsbury
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Location: 213 Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Phone Number: 609-258-1146
Email Address: kingsbury@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Kingsbury’s research aims to accelerate the development of electrochemical technologies for clean water and clean energy production by advancing fundamental understanding of ion-selective materials such as membranes and electrodes. These materials preferentially absorb or transport charged particles like Lithium or Sodium ions and are found in numerous environmental technologies including water desalination systems, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and flow batteries. We seek to develop a molecular-level understanding of the factors that make these materials selective to certain ions, and use that knowledge to engineer higher-performing materials. Our multi-scale research approach integrates electrochemical and thermodynamic materials characterization methods, first principles simulations, and device testing to understand how materials behave under a wide variety of conditions.
Research Areas: Pollutant Detection & Remediation, Water Desalination
Bruce Koel
Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Emeritus
Location: A311 Engineering Quad A-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-4524
Email Address: bkoel@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Surface and interfacial processes; plasma-materials interactions in fusion reactors; plasma-enhanced catalysis; photoelectrocatalysis for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction; alloy catalysis; chemistry of the battery solid electrolyte interphase
Research Areas: Fuel Cells, Fusion, Nuclear Energy, Pollutant Detection & Remediation, Renewable Energy, Solar
Chung Law
Robert H. Goddard Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: D325 Engineering Quad
Phone Number: 609-258-5271
Email Address: cklaw@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Fundamentals of combustion, with applications in propulsion, energy and environmental issues; combustion of fuel droplets and sprays; incineration of hazardous wastes; chemistry of flame-generated pollutants; formulation of high-performance propulsion fuels
Research Areas: Clean, Efficient Fuel Combustion, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Naomi Leonard
Edwin S. Wilsey Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Location: D234 Engineering Quad D-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-5129
Email Address: naomi@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Design/control of new kinds of sustainable and adaptive environmental sensing and observation systems (special focus on marine environments/ocean)
Research Areas: Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Marcella Lusardi
Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Princeton Materials Institute
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: A211 Engineering Quadrangle
Phone Number: 609-258-0300
Email Address: mlusardi@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Our group’s research centers on molecular-scale materials design to address pressing challenges in sustainable chemistry, with a primary focus in catalytic and adsorption applications. Synthetic methods to prepare these materials largely involve tuning coarse-grained parameters (e.g., concentration, temperature), often resulting in structures with poorly controlled distributions of molecular architectures. Since these architectures dictate the physicochemical and optoelectronic properties that govern performance in a given application, controlling them is paramount. To achieve this control, our work takes a molecular-scale approach to materials synthesis. By manipulating molecular precursors and their interactions early in the synthetic process (i.e., prior to nucleation), we can introduce new control parameters that influence the assembly of building units across length scales, and address a key bottleneck – the synthesis-structure component – in the iterative synthesis-structure-function elucidation process that guides rational materials design.
This approach enables us to develop the fundamentally new, multifunctional materials required to solve critical sustainability problems, ranging from CO2 capture and conversion to nanoplastic removal from water systems to green pharmaceutical synthesis. To satisfy the complex design criteria mandated by these diverse application domains, we work with equally diverse classes of materials to achieve the required flexibility in physicochemical and optoelectronic properties, including organic nanomaterials, nanostructured metals/metal oxides, molecular sieves, and quantum dots. Our efforts in synthesis are complemented by a wealth of advanced spectroscopic techniques, in addition to scattering and microscopy methods, and coupled with catalytic and surface studies in diverse reaction environments. In this way, we not only gain insight into the required molecular structures for effective catalysis/photocatalysis/etc., but also outline pathways to engineering them in practice.
Research Areas: Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Richard Miles
Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Emeritus
TEES Distinguished Research Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University
Location:
Phone Number: 979-458-2534
Email Address: miles@princeton.edu
Research Description:
High-sensitivity detection of pollutants and environmental contaminants (CO, NO, etc); combustion and aerodynamic control by lasers and microwaves, and plasma based energy conversion.
Research Areas: Clean, Efficient Fuel Combustion, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Catherine Peters
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
George J. Magee Professor of Geological Engineering
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: E417A Engineering Quad E-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-5645
Email Address: cap@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Environmental water quality and industrial wastewater treatment. Geochemical reactions in energy resources engineering including geologic sequestration of CO2, hydrofracking, and geothermal energy production. Reactive flows in porous, permeable, and fractured media
Research Areas: Carbon Capture & Storage, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Z. Jason Ren
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Andlinger Center Executive Committee
Location: Engineering Quadrangle
Phone Number: 609-258-7580
Email Address: zjren@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Water-Energy Nexus; Environmental Biotechnology; Water Resource Recovery; Carbon Capture and Utilization; Microbial Electrochemistry; Water and Wastewater Treatment; Environmental Remediation; Water Desalination; Membranes
Research Areas: Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Howard Stone
Neil A. Omenn '68 University Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: D328 Engineering Quad D-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-9493
Email Address: hastone@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Erosion/corrosion in water flows for cooling in fusion reactors; fluid dynamics of lithium for protecting inner walls of fusion reactors; microfluidic studies relevant to water purification; electrokinetic effects relevant to energy storage devices
Research Areas: Fusion, Nuclear Energy, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Naveen Verma
Ralph H. and Freda I. Augustine Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Andlinger Center Associated Faculty
Location: B226 Engineering Quad B-Wing
Phone Number: 609-258-1424
Email Address: nverma@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Environmental sensors and computation platforms (low-power circuits and systems)
Research Areas: Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Pollutant Detection & Remediation
Mark Zondlo
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Andlinger Center Executive Committee
Location: E403 Engineering Quad
Phone Number: 609-258-5037
Email Address: mzondlo@princeton.edu
Research Description:
Atmospheric chemistry; atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gases and air pollutants; emissions of carbon and nitrogen to the atmosphere; compact, laser-based sensor development
Research Areas: Impact of Energy & Land Use, Pollutant Detection & Remediation