AMTA/Reclamation Fellowships for Membrane Technology

Dr. Maryam Amouamouha, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Amouamouha is a Ph.D. student researching Investigation of the Performance of Centrifugal Spinning Nanofiber Membranes Functionalized with Graphene Oxide-Silver for Wastewater Treatment under the guidance of Travis Walker, Ph.D. Amouamouha earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. The objective of her work is to develop highly efficient and cost-effective ultrafiltration (UF) membranes from centrifugal fibers alone without using expensive/complicated chemical modification methods.

Shao-Hsiang (Joe) Hung, University of Massachusetts Amhers

Hung is a Graduate Research Fellow studying Fabrication of Polyelectrolyte Membranes via Sustainable Aqueous Phase Separation under the guidance of Jessica Schiffman, Ph.D. Hung earned his
B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the National Taiwan University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, respectively. Hung’s research focuses on developing a mechanistic understanding of how to manufacture chemically robust, high-flux membranes from polyelectrolytes, water, and salt; and evaluate their stability, flux, and fouling resistance.

Harsh Patel, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Patel is a Graduate Research Assistant exploring Novel Low Water Content Membranes with High Counterion/Counterion Selectivity for Applications in Desalination and Lithium Extraction under the guidance of Jovan Kamcev, Ph.D. at University of Michigan. Patel’s research looks at establishing novel low water content membranes capable of selectively removing targeted ions to meet rising water and energy demands.

Siddhartha Paul, University of Houston

Paul is a Graduate Research Assistant exploring Chlorine-Resistant Covalent Organic Framework (COF) Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment under the guidance of Devin Shaffer, Ph.D., P.E. at University of Houston. Paul earned a M.Tech. in Environmental Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and a B.Tech from the National Institute of Technology, Silchar. Paul is studying the chlorine-resistance of covalent organic framework nanofiltration membranes to address the persistent challenge of effectively cleaning conventional polyamide nanofiltration membranes to maintain their performance.

Bryan (Xuan) Liu, University of Colorado Boulder

Liu is a Ph.D. student researching Coupled UV – Membrane and Oxidant – Membrane Processes for Decreased Biofouling and Enhanced Flux in Water Reclamation Applications under the guidance of Karl Linden, Ph.D. Liu earned a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Liu’s work examines the use of a combined process consisting of oxidation and low-pressure ceramic membranes to produce high quality water for reuse applications while reducing fouling, life-cycle costs and carbon footprint.

Sohum Patel, Yale University

Patel is a Graduate Research Fellow studying Flow-Through Electrosorption for the Selective Removal and Recovery of Boron under the guidance of Menachem Elimelech, Ph.D. Patel earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their research aims to overcome the inefficiencies associated with removing boron in seawater desalination through the development of a separation technology based on electrosorption. 

Rushabh Shah, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Shah is a Doctoral Student studying Bioinspired Liquid-Infused Membranes (LIMs) to Reduce Biofouling under the guidance of Jessica Schiffman, Ph.D. They earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. Rushabh’s research focuses on developing a novel approach to membrane design that reduces the adhesion of foulants on a membrane for long-term operation without the use of biocides or physical cleaning.

Jishan Wu, University of California Los Angeles

Wu is a Graduate Student Researcher exploring Ultra-High Pressure RO Membranes for the Lowest Cost and Energy Approach to Achieve Minimum Liquid Discharge under the guidance of Eric Hoek, Ph.D. at UCLA. Wu earned an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UCLA and a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Wuhan University of Technology. Their research looks at the development of novel RO membranes that tolerate ultra-high pressures to realize minimal and zero liquid discharge at a significantly lower energy and cost than conventional thermal distillation processes.