Research Strengths
Environmental Engineering
Harnessing sensor technologies, data analytics, and high-performance computing for dynamic urban systems and sustainable environmental technologies; and remediating contamination and wastewater and protecting environmental resources through microbial engineering.
One of the biggest changes to society around the word in recent decades has been a surge of interest and attention paid to the health of the planet, from improving public spaces to protecting air, water, and land.
The college takes this mission seriously, especially given its close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—the nation’s most visited—and its location on the banks of the Tennessee River.
Our experts have worked to maintain the health and safety of people both near and far, including the restoration of local waterways, the remediation of Superfund sites, monitoring air and water pollution in the Smokies, and even testifying before Congress.
Involved Faculty
Terry Hazen
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair
Ecology, Pollution, and Contamination
Microbial ecology; environmental engineering; bioremediation; biofuels; enhanced oil recovery; water quality; systems biology; environmental stress response pathways; molecular-to-ecosystem level knowledge of biogeochemistry; viral and pathogen detection.
Chris Cox
Robert M. Condra Professor
Ecology, Pollution, and Contamination
Computational approaches to biological and natural and engineered environmental systems; adsorption of metals and inorganic compounds on mineral surfaces; remediation of PAH contaminated soils; electrokinetic remediation of mercury contaminated soils; process variability and uncertainty in activated sludge treatment plants; microbial gene expression during biofuel production; structure in anaerobic digestion; variability in gene expression profiles.
Frank Loeffler
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair
Ecology, Pollution, and Contamination
Biogeochemical processes in soil, sediment, subsurface, and water environments; genetic, biochemical, analytical, meta-omics, and computational methodologies; the nitrogen cycle and consumption of nitrous oxide; molecular biological tools for environmental monitoring.
John Schwartz
Professor
Ecology, Pollution, and Contamination
Stressed natural systems; physical, chemical, and biological processes resulting in the degradation of rivers and streams; hydraulic, hydrological, and pollutant transport models; river channel adjustments through sediment transport and bank erosion processes; soil erosion processes and pollutant transport on disturbed land surfaces; biogeochemical processes in forested watersheds impacted by acid pollutant deposition in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Mingzhou Jin
Professor
Environmental Modelling, Logistics, and Planning
Modeling and analysis for the environment; sustainability and climate change; logistics; transportation; supply chain management; operations research and data analytics; advanced manufacturing.
Joshua Fu
John D. Tickle Professor
Environmental Modelling, Logistics, and Planning
Energy, climate change, and air quality; assessment of air pollutants; air toxics modeling; develop environmental modeling and decision support tools for complex multi-discipline ecosystem; data management and information technology applications in environmental management systems; large scale simulation; human dimension; sustainability in environmental systems.
Jon Hathaway
Associate Professor
Environmental Modelling, Logistics, and Planning
Sustainable urban water; green infrastructure; anthropogenic influences on the environment; urban pollutant fate and transport; low impact development; innovative monitoring instrumentation; stormwater runoff effects on human and ecological health; coupled human and natural systems.