Warning: This page gives
you the CREEPS
(Cunningham
Researchers
for Environmental
Engineering,
Processes,
and Science)
Head CREEP
|
Prof Jeff Cunningham joined the
University of South Florida in 2005.
He oversees a group of research students with diverse research
interests under the broad umbrella of Environmental Engineering. Jeff’s
own research passion is the development and application of mathematical and
computational models to describe the behavior of environmental systems. This includes the modeling of contaminant
fate and transport processes, groundwater flow, water and wastewater
treatment plants and treatment processes, and pore-scale multi-phase flow
through porous media, to name a few.
Mathematical modeling is useful not only as a prediction tool, but
also to test if our theoretical understanding and conceptualizations of the
relevant processes are supported by collected data. Jeff has
authored or co-authored about 60 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. When
Jeff is not at work, he enjoys reading fiction (or anything written by Nick
Hornby), spending time with his family, watching sports (particularly
baseball, tennis, and soccer), and playing tennis (if/when his aging body
cooperates). |
Current Research Team
|
Dr Erica Dasi is a 2022 ASEE eFellows
Engineering Post-doctoral Fellow investigating autotrophic denitrification
(supported by sulfur-containing minerals) for groundwater remediation and
domestic wastewater treatment. Erica is
passionate about teaching. As a
research mentor and instructor, she fosters a safe, collaborative, and
inclusive space for students to learn about -- and to help minimize -- common
water-quality challenges. |
|
Christopher Nenninger is a PhD candidate
in the Environmental Engineering program.
He is co-advised by Prof James Mihelcic. Christopher’s
research aims to improve the siting of latrines in low- and middle-income
countries where latrines are used as a technology for sanitation. Christopher will quantify what constitutes
a “safe” distance between a latrine and a downgradient drinking-water source
such as a shallow groundwater well. |
|
Majid
Torof
is a PhD student in the Environmental Engineering program. Majid’s research will help an electric
utility deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) at a fossil-fuel-fired power
station. Majid
enjoys playing soccer and tennis. On
the weekends, he likes to watch his favourite soccer team, Manchester United,
play in the Premier League. |
|
Uzoma
Ajugwe
is a Master’s degree student in the Environmental Engineering program. He is building computer simulations of CO2
sequestration in subsurface geological formations. His hobbies include playing chess and
coaching grassroot soccer teams. Uzoma
also enjoys discussing his Igbo cultural heritage. |
Recent Graduates and
Alumni
|
Lauren
Judah
completed her Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2022, with
concentrations in both Engineering for International Development and Water
Resources Engineering. She became
interested in global development while serving as the Design Lead for
Engineers Without Borders during her undergraduate studies at the University
of Florida. Lauren was co-advised by
Prof Jim Mihelcic. Lauren
traveled to Madagascar during Summer 2022 (see photo at left!) to conduct her
thesis research on bacterial contamination of household water storage
containers in the community of Tamatave, Madagascar. In 2024, she will depart for Peru to serve
as a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Educator in the Peace Corps. Lauren
views water as a route to equality and is eager to pursue a career that
contributes to solving water-quantity and water-quality issues in
marginalized communities. |
|
Ian Grabo completed his Master of Science in
Environmental Engineering in May 2022.
Ian
investigated the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) during chlorination of
municipal wastewater at a centralized treatment facility located in Pinellas
County, Florida. By elucidating the
operational conditions that lead to higher or lower THM formation, Ian can
help the treatment facility remain in compliance with Florida regulations. |
|
Dr Helene Kassouf completed her PhD
in Environmental Engineering in December 2021. The
overall objective of Helene’s dissertation research is to find sustainable
and efficient processes to treat municipal wastewater while maximizing the
recovery of resources (clean water, energy, and nutrients). Specific objectives of Helene’s research
include (1) Evaluating the performance of currently employed wastewater
treatment processes by quantifying the fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus
through mainstream treatment and sludge-handling operations at a local water
reclamation facility, (2) Building and assessing a microbial fuel cell, an
innovative technology that can generate electricity while simultaneously
removing carbon and nitrogen from wastewater streams, and (3) Evaluating
phosphorus removal from wastewater using a newly proposed method of
“sidestream enhanced biological phosphorus removal” (S2EBPR). |
|
Hania Hawasli completed her
Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering in December 2021. Hania
investigated the cause(s) of arsenic mobilization in groundwater during
aquifer and storage recovery (ASR) processes in Florida. In particular, she is interested in the
effects of nitrate on arsenopyrite dissolution and arsenic mobilization when
partially treated wastewater is used as a source water for ASR. |
|
Dr Fizza Zahid completed her PhD
in Environmental Engineering in May 2021.
Fizza’s PhD
research focused on the pore-scale modeling of multi-phase fluid flow (e.g.,
oil and water) in porous media.
Specifically, Fizza investigated the impact of grain morphology on the
development of fluid-fluid interfaces.
Fizza employed lattice Boltzmann
modeling (color gradient method) to accomplish the multi-phase flow
modeling. The goal of the work was to understand
the physics of pore-scale multi-phase flow in porous media, with a view
towards improving engineering solutions involving multi-phase fluids (e.g.,
soil remediation, carbon dioxide sequestration). |
|
Murat Kayabas completed his MS
in Civil Engineering in May 2021. Murat
built and characterized a laboratory-scale confined aquifer system that was
able to simulate injection and withdrawal conditions of aquifer storage and
recovery (ASR). |
|
Dr Ram Kumar completed his PhD
in Chemical Engineering in December 2019.
He was co-advised by Prof Scott Campbell. Ram’s
research interests and expertise include computational fluid dynamics,
hydrogeology & geochemistry, groundwater modeling, geological carbon
storage, and modeling of indoor air quality. As of
July 2021, Ram is a
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Energy
Geosciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. |
|
Dr Kevin Orner completed his PhD
in Environmental Engineering in May 2019.
At USF, Kevin focused on the management of nutrients (nitrogen and
phosphorus) from wastewater streams at different scales (e.g., individual
buildings, city sewersheds) and in different contexts (e.g., urban and
agricultural). He was co-advised by
Prof Jim Mihelcic. In fall
of 2021, Kevin began a faculty position as an Assistant Professor in the Wadsworth Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at West Virginia
University. The overall goal of
his research group is to improve human and environmental health locally and
globally through the safe and sustainable recovery of resources (nutrients,
energy, and water) from concentrated waste streams. |