Lina is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at Penn State University. She holds an M.S. degree in Municipal Engineering (Water Treatment) from Tongji University in Shanghai, China. Her master’s research focused on exploring the applications of nanobubbles in water treatment, including  the effect of ozone nanobubble on in-situ algal control and its impact on microbial community structure and function, as well as the effects of nanobubbles on the manganese oxidation of a manganese-oxidizing fungus Cladosporium sp. and the biogenic mechanism. During her Ph.D. studies, Lina will continue to investigate the potential of nanobubble technology in environmental engineering. In her free time, she enjoys photography, listening to music, and traveling.

Macy is an M.S. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Macy's research interests lie mostly within PFAS fate and transport within different environmental media. She focuses on understanding how the environment is affected after contamination occurs. In her free time, she enjoys running, adventuring, swimming, and reading. 

Paulina is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at Penn State University. She holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maine and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Quito, Ecuador. Her research focuses on the fate and transport of pollutants across environmental media, from understanding the mechanisms and scenarios that lead to contamination to identifying safer materials and practices that prevent it. She is also interested in developing and optimizing remediation strategies that restore ecosystems and protect human health, while incorporating sustainability principles into her experimental design to enhance long-term environmental resilience. Outside of research, she enjoys biking, trail-running, painting, visiting museums and galleries, watching movies, and traveling.

Kenneth is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State. 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 at Penn State 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 the "Happy Valley" of the US while working in a vibrant, creative, collaborative and diverse research group? At Penn State we always seek motivated and hard working team players to fill in positions. 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 oga5061@psu.edu.  

Penn State is an elite research university, an AAU member, and a Carnegie R1 school with $1.34 billion annual research expenditures. Penn State has an extremely powerful alumni network enabling $4.5 billion endowment making Penn State Alumni Association is the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world. Also the university is one of the three land-, space-, sun-, and sea-grant schools in the nation and often ranked top 30 in public schools (according to US News).

Our research group is located in one of the newest interdisciplinary engineering buildings (eCORE built 2024) on the flagship campus of Penn State in College Park. The campus and the city are presenting a safe, productive, balanced and rewarding grad school experience. The campus is home to Beaver Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the Western hemisphere. Whether you're living on campus or commuting, you'll be part of a close-knit community that supports your personal growth, encourages collaboration, and provides a network of lifelong friendships.