Ma Research Group
Principal Investigator
Ben Ma
Dr. Ma is an assistant professor of environmental engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to joining the University, he worked as a postdoctoral associate at University of Colorado Boulder to understand the performance and mechanisms of emerging UV technologies for pathogen control, which has been widely recognized within the academia and industry and by public health officials in supporting efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ma holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, a M.S. in biotechnology from Northwestern University, and a B.E. in bioengineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Students
Graduate students
Joya Prottasha Das
Joya is a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering at UNR. Her research focuses on understanding the performance and molecular-level mechanisms of germicidal UV LEDs for pathogen and biofilm control in water systems. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a Teaching Assistant at BRAC University in Bangladesh, where she discovered her passion for teaching. Joya holds a BSc. in Biotechnology from BRAC University and has conducted research on understanding the biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumonia. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting with makeup and trying out new recipes.
Lulu Liu
Lulu is an environmental engineering M.S. student at UNR. Her research is centered around creating and comprehending UV-based control methods against fungal transmission in public spaces. Originally from Beijing, China, Lulu has been living in Reno for the past 9 years and considers herself a local. She a B.S. in biology from UNR and enjoys Pilates, local cafes, and visiting Lake Tahoe in her free time.
Kamrun Nahar Mim
Kamrun is a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering at UNR. Her research is centered around creating standard testing procedures and application guidelines for the use of emerging UV technologies in occupied public spaces and other environments to ensure safe and effective disinfection. Prior to joining UNR, she obtained her B.S. in civil engineering from Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology and worked as a lecturer at Sonargaon University in Bangladesh. In her free time, Kamrun enjoys playing outdoor sports, especially handball, as well as indoor games like chess and sudoku.
Undergraduate students
Sanjay Mathew
Sanjay is a 4th year undergraduate student in environmental engineering. He loves to cook and rock climb. As an Eagle Scout, He has been to almost every national park in the western US. He also has a sheepadoodle puppy named Bindi!
Leoney Spence
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