Research Areas

Problems addressed by the EEE curriculum cover an impressive range of scientific disciplines and socio-economic concerns, organized around three major themes of sustainability.

A World of Problems, a Department of Solutions

Research problems are organized around three major themes, with some examples of the general research directions. Computational, experimental, statistical/data science, and field methods of research are used in each area.

Sustainable Energy

Key research areas include: Decarbonization of the Earth's Energy system to mitigate potential changes in the Earth's climate; Renewable energy; Electrochemical Energy Storage; Optimal integration of renewables into the energy grid; Carbon capture, utilization and storage.


Robert Farrauto

Vasilis Fthenakis

Alissa Ah-Hyung Park

Ponisseril Somasundaran

Daniel Steingart

Nickolas Themelis

Alan West

Bolun Xu

Sustainable Water

Key research areas include: Climate adaptation and climate risk mitigation for water and other systems; Land-atmosphere interactions; Global hydrology and climate sensitivity; Atmospheric moisture transport and floods; Biological wastewater treatment, membrane processes for water desalination, re-use and energy recovery.


Upmanu Lall

Kartik Chandran

Pierre Gentine

Ngai Yin Yip

Raymond Farinato

D. R. Nagaraj

Sustainable Mining, Minerals, and Materials

Key research areas include: Recycling and Reuse; Extraction of rare earths and metals from waste streams; Climate and water risks associated with mining operations; Surface and colloidal chemistry applications to reducing water use in mining and novel processing of minerals; Environmental restoration of mined lands.


Upmanu Lall

Alissa Ah-Hyung Park

Ponisseril Somasundaran

Daniel Steingart

Alan West

Raymond Farinato

D. R. Nagaraj

Graduate Research Symposium

This student-organized symposium features presentations by graduate students in the department, as well as a keynote speech by an invited speaker.