Dr. Apul is a Libra Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Clemson University in 2014. His bachelor's and master's degrees are in Environmental Engineering from Turkey's Middle East Technical University.
Neil Fisher manages the environmental engineering laboratories as well as being a Lab instructor for basic Civil Engineering courses. Neil has over 18 years of experience working on innovative research and his specialties include custom instrumentation and data collection techniques in the lab.
Manisha earned her PhD and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India, in 2019 and 2014, respectively. Her BS degree is also in Chemical Engineering from M.B.M. University, India. She is interested in the fate and degradation of micropollutants/emerging contaminants/endocrine disrupting compounds/PPCPs/PFAS in water/wastewater treatment processes. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, painting, meditation, yoga and social work for child welfare.
Paulina is an MS student in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at the University of Maine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito-Ecuador. Her research interests are environmental chemistry, advanced oxidation processes, and nanomaterials to address innovative solutions against environmental pollution, climate change, and clean water scarcity in rural and urban
areas. Additionally, she is interested in understanding the source and pathway of emerging pollutants in the environment and their effect on human health. In her spare time, Paulina enjoys outdoor activities like biking and running, and also reading, watching movies, and traveling.
Kenneth is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Maine. He has an M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology in Egypt and a B.S. degree in Minerals Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology in Ghana. Kenneth's research interests include advanced oxidation processes, adsorption, and biological treatment of water and wastewater. He is researching metastable oxygen nanobubbles for space exploration and other environmental applications, with the Apul Research Group. Kenneth spends his leisure time playing soccer, exercising at the gym, traveling, swimming, and hanging out with friends.
Dilara is a Ph.D. student who started her work in Spring 2022. She holds an M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Middle East Technical University and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. Her master's studies focused on investigating the fate and effects of microplastics during sewage sludge treatment processes. In her spare time, Dilara enjoys swimming, cycling and oil painting.
Sonia is a Ph.D. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Maine. She earned her MS degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Her research interest is utilizing nanomaterials for enabling pragmatic and sustainable water treatment methods to overcome emerging water treatment problems. She applies experimental and theoretical methodology for problem-solving in her research. In her spare time, Sonia likes swimming, watching movies, meeting with her friends, and traveling.
Would you like to live and work in Vacationland of the US? We always seek motivated and hard working team players to fill in positions at the University of Maine. If you are interested in becoming a team member, please email your (i) research interests in a cover letter (ii) a CV along with (iii) the names of your references to onur.apul@maine.edu.
University of Maine, a Carnegie R1, land, sea and space grant school, and flagship campus of UMaine system is located in town of Orono, which is a small, safe, lovable college town less than 15 minutes to Bangor. The campus is on Marsh Island surrounded with Penobscot and Stillwater Rivers about 2 hours north of Portland and 1.5 hours away from the popular coastal destination Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
Halle is a B.S. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. Her current work with the Apul Research Group involves assisting Sonia Moavenzadeh with her research project focusing on the ways in which PFAs and soil interact in the environment. In Halle’s spare time, she enjoys lifting weights, reading, cooking, and playing the violin.
Sam is a B.S student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine. His work in the Apul Research Group is researching the sources and extent of microplastic pollution in Frenchman Bay. In Sam’s free time he enjoys swimming, running, and hiking.
Madi is a B.S. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Maine with a minor in Spanish and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in the future. She earned her general studies A.A. degree at the University of Maine in Presque Isle. Her current work with the Apul Research Group involves studying CO catalysts used for life support systems in space exploration. In Madi's free time, she enjoys playing on the ultimate frisbee team, hiking, traveling, and watching movies.
Grace Johnson graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine with an MS degree in 2024.
Daniel Houder worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine (2024).
Dr. Sudheera Yaparatne worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine between 2021-2023. Currently a postdoctoral researcher at NJIT.
Ashton Collins, graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine with an MS degree in 2023.
Zach Doherty worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine.
Dr. Seif Eldien worked as a visiting postdoctoral researcher in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine in 2022.
Louis Nicoloro graduated from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine, (2022) after working on a NASA funded catalyst testing project.
Samantha Ismail, High School Student Researcher (2022) Project title: Detection and Characterization of Microplastics in Frenchman Bay.
Jessica Liggiero graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine, (2022). She participated in a summer research project to search for microplastics off the coast of Maine.
Busra Sonmez worked as a graduate researcher in ivil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell (2018-2021).
Ritchie Lafaille, graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell with an MS degree in 2020.
Yigit C. Bozkurt, graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell with an MS degree in 2020.
Jana Latayan, Undergraduate Researcher from University of Massachusetts Amherst Chemical Engineering (2018-2020) Project title: High-Resolution Capacitive Deionization for Selective PFAS Removal. Co-advised by Dr. Ertan Agar and Dr. Sheree Pagsuyoin.
Joe Egitto, Undergraduate Researcher from UMass Lowell Mechanical Engineering (2018-2020) Project title: High-Resolution Capacitive Deionization for Selective PFAS Removal. Co-advised by Dr. Ertan Agar and Dr. Sheree Pagsuyoin.
Arsalan Khalid, graduated from Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell with an MS degree in 2019.
Matthew Tengtrakool, High School Student Researcher (2019) Project title: Repeated Use of Carbon Additives during Microwave Remediation for Targeted Heating of Petroleum Hydrocarbons. Currently at Harvard University