Environmental Engineering Master's and Ph.D.

Engineering a Healthier Planet

Faculty in Environmental Engineering have a prestigious record of bringing a high-tech perspective to the challenges facing our natural and man-made environments today. Sited at the convergence of many estuarine environments and on a busy harbor, Stevens provides the ideal setting for Environmental Engineering research and study. In their efforts to mitigate environmental contaminants, faculty members have founded several companies and successfully patented many technologies that perform critical services in isolating and removing unwanted substances from our water and air.

Research in Focus

Water Quality and Waste Management

Professor David Vaccari is a sought-after expert on phosphorus resources, water quality monitoring and standards, and activated sludge wastewater treatment systems. His research involves numerous approaches to Environmental Engineering, including biological, physicochemical, and systems modeling phases of pollutant management and monitoring. Broad applications of his research includes biodegradability of solid materials, consumer product testing, air-stripping for removal of volatile organic compounds, volatile compound removal from drinking water, innovative potable water recovery, modeling software development, and bioregenerative life support systems for long-term space travel. His article on peak phosphorus appeared in Scientific American. Dr. Vaccari has won numerous teaching awards and is a member of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Science Advisory Board.

Patented Technologies for Arsenic Removal

Environmental Engineering Professor Xiaoguang Meng has gained international recognition for research into the interaction of heavy metals, uranium, and inorganic compounds at the metal hydroxide-water interface and the fate and transport of arsenic and heavy metals in an aquatic environment. Dr. Meng's fundamental research is focused on environmental surface chemistry, developments of metal oxide based adsorbents, and development of chemical and physical processes for treatment of arsenic and heavy metals. Through this work he has developed a number of patented technologies that have been successfully used to remove toxins from contaminated water, in the process saving lives around the world and protecting the environment.

Contaminants and Green Munitions

Dr. Washington Braida's research advances knowledge in environmental sustainability, industrial ecology, life cycle assessment applications, remediation and fate & transport of heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil, sediment and water environments, Remedial technologies for contaminated wastewater and groundwater, and environmental compatibility of consumer products. Dr. Braida has conducted extensive testing of materials degradation for the U.S. military, which had tested replacing lead in munitions with naturally-occuring tungsten. Although intended to be an environmentally-responsible solution, Dr. Braida's research demonstrated that tungsten in spent munitions could prove toxic to plant life and the local environment. He conducts research at the Center for Environmental Systems, which is dedicated to applied, interdisciplinary research for the solution of pressing, real-world environmental problems.

Concentrations that Address Real Problems

Three core Environmental Engineering courses present a broad foundation for Environmental Engineering, after which students dive into their respective concentrations for deep study. Students also take additional classes from Stevens exceptionally broad course offerings in engineering. Environmental Engineering concentrations reflect the faculty's reknowned expertise in pollution treatment, wastewater control, and coastal water flow processes:

• Environmental Processes
• Groundwater and Soil Pollution Control
• Inland and Coastal Environmental Hydrodynamics

Professional Opportunities with a Purpose

With significant employment opportunities throughout government, industry, and non-profit organizations, environmental engineers have access to a wide variety of career tracks and report high levels of job satisfaction. Beyond professional success and advancement, environmental engineers are awarded with intriguing challenges as part of daily life and the knowledge that one's work is of fundamental importance to society. A Master's of Engineering or Ph.D. Degree in Environmental Engineering from Stevens is a positive step forward not only for the student, but for the health and well-being of individuals around the world. Please feel free to inquire about joining our research team or apply now for graduate study at Stevens.