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
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​
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.
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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.
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​
Malachite Spence
Mochi Liu
Alex Abejar
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!