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.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Apoorva Goel
Apoorva is a Postdoctoral Associate at UNR, where her research focuses on UV disinfection technology for air, water, and surfaces. Before joining UNR, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota, where her work focused on opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella and Mycobacterium, as well as assimilable organic carbon in drinking water distribution systems across the United States. She earned her Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where her research was focused on ureolytic bacteria and their applications in microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation. Outside of work, Apoorva enjoys playing pickleball, hiking, making lattes, painting, and catching up with friends over a cup of coffee.
Students
Graduate students
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.
Sanjay Mathew
Sanjay is a M.S. student in environmental engineering. His research will focus on mitigation of biofilm-induced chemical degradation in wastewater systems. He has a B.S. in environmental engineering from UNR. 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!
Rylie Goss
Rylie is a 4th year BS/MS student majoring in Environmental Engineering and minoring in Math at UNR. Her research focuses on how nutrient composition in water may impact biofouling. In her free time, she loves to teach dance and engineering lessons to K-12 students, traveling with her family, and eating at different restaurant chains with her friends.
Junaid Khan
Junaid is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at UNR. His current research focuses on assimilable organic carbon (AOC), heterotrophic plate count (HPC), bacterial regrowth, and biofouling in drinking-water and advanced water-purification systems. He conducts microbiological and water quality experiments and applies statistical and machine-learning modeling to evaluate relationships among AOC, HPC, treatment conditions, and microbial regrowth, with the goal of supporting improved water-quality monitoring and biofouling assessment.
Undergraduate students
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Adan Ayala
Adan is a 4th year undergraduate student double majoring in Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering at UNR. He also serves as a Senior Airmen in the Nevada Air National Guard. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, reading, watching movies, going on tough hikes, and spending time with his family.
Preston Schwartz
Preston is a first-year environmental engineering student at UNR. He is interested in water resource systems, water quality, and sustainable infrastructure. He gained a love for the natural world by spending time outside while earning his Eagle Scout. In his free time, he is a competitive speedcuber and serves as a WCA delegate, where he helps organize and run speedcubing competitions.
Former lab members
Leoney Spence
Leoney is a full-time 3rd year undergraduate student in the Environmental Engineering program at UNR. He also holds an internship with Carollo Engineers. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, rock climbing, hiking, and spending time with his Chihuahua Nacho.
Stella Abejar
Stella Marie Abejar is a 4th year Environmental Engineering student. Her interests lie in utilizing emerging technologies and methods to improve environmental and public health and safety. She has experience working in both public and private sectors, and in her free time, leads the UNR ASCE-AGC Student Chapter and competes in engineering competitions regionally. She also enjoys video games, music production, and cooking.
Lab meow-bers
Dumpling Ma
Beau Goss
Mochi Liu
Jenga Schwartz
Teddy Mim
Disclaimer: While our lab website proudly features our feline friends, we paw-mise we do not discriminate against dogs (or other furry companions). All pets bring joy to science!
If you are interested in joining us, please check here!