People

Principle Investigator

Julie Zimmerman

Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of the Environment;
Professor in School of Engineering and Applied Science;
Professor in School of the Environment;
Deputy Director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering

Editor-in-Chief Environmental Science and Technology
julie.zimmerman@yale.edu


PhD Students

Mary Kate Mitchell Lane

PhD Candidate Environmental Engineering
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
marykate.mitchell@yale.edu
Research Area: Utilizing supercritical fluids as green solvents for biorefinery and nanoparticle synthesis applications


Yan Du

PhD Candidate Environmental Engineering
yan.du@yale.edu
Research Areas: Computational modeling; POPs in wastewater; life-cycle assessments


Andreas Backhaus

PhD Candidate Environmental Engineering
andreas.backhaus@yale.edu
Research Areas: Biomass valorization using supercritical fluids; nanoparticle shape control in supercritical fluid synthesis; environmental-economic data analysis and modeling


Dylan Judd

PhD Candidate, School of the Environment
dylan.judd@yale.edu
Research Areas:


Undergraduate Students

Avery Long 

BS Chemical Engineering, 2024
avery.long@yale.edu
Research Area: Continuous Solvothermal Synthesis of Glutathione-Functionalized Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles for Lead Detection in Water
 


Postdoctoral Associates

Heather LeClerc

Postdoctoral Associate
heather.leclerc@yale.edu
Research Areas: Lignin valorization in continuous flow systems


Research Staff

Lars Ratjen                                                               

Research Scientist                                                                                                         
lars.ratjen@yale.edu
Research Areas: 

  • The Yale-UNIDO Global GreenChem Innovation and Network Programme

  • Intersection of environmental factors and mental health

  • Green chemistry and green engineering


Hanno Erythropel

Research Scientist
hanno.erythropel@yale.edu
Research Areas: 

  • The role of sweeteners and flavorants in e-cigarette safety

  • Biodegradable materials

  • Utilizing renewable biomass to generate valuable chemical products


Alumni 

Tetyana Budnyak, PhD (she/her)

Research Fellow
tetyana.budnyak@yale.edu
Research Areas: Development of green lignin-biochar composites capable of removing organic and inorganic pollutants from water


Elise Gilcher 

Postdoctoral Associate
elise.gilcher@yale.edu
Research Areas: Extractions and conversion of biomass with supercritical fluids to valorize the integrated biorefinery


Holly Rudel

PhD  Environmental Engineering, 2023
holly.rudel@gmail.com
Research Area: Sustainable materials as selective adsorbents in water treatment
Currently: California Council on Science and Technology Policy Fellow
 


Jessie Wainer 

MESc Yale School of the Environment, 2023 
Research Area: Sustainable water treatment 
 


Tong Wang 

PhD  Environmental Engineering, 2022
tong.wang.tw493@yale.edu
Currently: Lecturer at East China Normal University

 

 


Mark Falinski 

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2020
markfalinski@gmail.com
Currently: Consultant at Boston Consulting Group

 


Camrynn “Cammie” Fausey

PhD  Environmental Engineering, 2020
camrynnfausey@gmail.com
Currently: Lead Artificial Intelligence Engineer at Mitre

 


Lauren Pincus 

PhD School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 2020
Lpincus@princeton.edu
Currently: Hess Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Geoscience at Princeton University

 


Eva Albalghiti 

BA Environmental Engineering, 2017
MESc Environmental Science, 2020

ealbalghiti@outlook.com
Currently: PhD Student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Michigan
 


Qingshi Tu

Postdoctoral Associate, 2018
Qingshi.tu@ubc.ca
Currently: Assistant Professor at Department of Wood Science at University of British Columbia

 


Evelyn “Sale” Rhodes

MSc Environmental Science, 2017-2019
esrhodes8@gmail.com

Currently: Research and Program Associate at The Aquaya Institute
 


Amanda Lounsbury

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2017
Postdoctoral Associate, 2019

amandalo@mail.tau.ac.il
Currently: AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the Department of Energy
 


Tamara deWinter

Postdoctoral Associate, 2019
dewinter.tam@gmail.com

 


Jamila Saifee Yamani

PhD Environmental Enginering, 2010-2015
jamila.yamani@gmail.com
Currently: Salesforce

 


Thomas Kwan

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2018
thomasalankwan@gmail.com
Currently: Sustainability at Schneider Electric

 


Ranran Wang

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2011-2016
ranran.wang@utwente.nl
Currently: Assistant Professor of Water Enginering & Management at University of Twente

 


Lindsay Soh

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2007-2013
sohl@lafayette.edu
Currently: Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lafayette College

 


Weiwei Mo

Postdoctoral Associate, 2012-2014
weiwei.mo@unh.edu
Currently: Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of New Hampshire

 


Leanne Gilbertson

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2009-2014
leanne.gilbertson@pitt.edu
Currently: Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Pittsburgh

 


Chun-Chi Chen

Research Scientist, 2012-2014
Currently: Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute

 



Matthew Eckelman

Postdoctoral Associate, 2010-2011
m.eckelman@northeastern.edu
Currently: Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University

 


Fuzhan Nasiri

Postdoctoral Associate, 2009-2010
Research Scientist, 2010-2011

fuzhan.nasiri@concordia.edu
Currently: Associate Professor of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering at Concordia University
 


George Gachumi

Postdoctoral Associate, 2016
Currently: Postdoctoral Associate at University of Saskatchewan

 


Jonathan Mellor

Postdoctoral Associate, 2013-2014
jonathan.mellor@uconn.edu
Currently: Teaching faculty member at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth

 


Kira Matus

Senior Policy Analyst, 2010
kmatus@ust.hk
Currently: Associate Head and Associate Professor Division of Public Policy; Associate Professsor Division of Environment and Sustainability; Associate Professor Division of Social Science– The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
 



Laura Brentner

Postdoctoral Associate, 2009-2011
lbrentner@luc.edu
Currently: Lecturer at the Insitute of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University of Chicago
 



Sarah Miller

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2006-2011
sarah.m.miller@yale.edu
Currently: Assistant Dean for Science and Engineering at Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

 



Troy Savage

Yale Divinity School and Forestry and Environmental Studies, 2013
tsavage@mazzetti.com
Currently: Associate Project Manager– Mazzetti

 


Valerie Fuchs

Postdoctoral Associate, 2010-2011
Currently: Senior Water Resources Engineer– Brown and Caldwell

 


Patrick Foley

PhD Environmental Engineering, 2008-2011
patrick@p2science.com
Currently: Chief Scientific Officer– P2 Science