Haniye Safarpour is a Ph.D. student at the department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her Master’s from the University of Tehran in 2020. She has a wide range of interests including water and wastewater systems, sustainability assessment, and many topics related to improving people’s quality of life through engineering. She uses methods including qualitative analysis, systems modeling, and agent-based modeling. 

Joseph Toland is a Ph.D. student at the department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago. Joseph received his Master’s of Science degree from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2018. He has many interests, drawing from an extensive career in emergency management—he responded to over (50) domestic and international incidents with FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (1999-2015). His current research focuses on investigating water infrastructure disruptions in disasters, emergency resource access, and reducing inequity within vulnerable communities through engineering and policy development. He uses quantitative and qualitative methods from spatial data science, systems analysis, agent-based modeling, and geographic information systems (GIS) in his modeling work. 

Anchal Bansal is a Ph.D. student in the department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She is from India and studied environmental engineering at Delhi College of Engineering. She has experience working in the field of ESG, climate change and sustainability reporting in her native country. Her main research interests include sustainability assessment, water and wastewater treatment systems, and resilient urban infrastructure development. 

Paiwa Acero is a Fulbright Scholar pursuing her Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is from Ecuador and completed her studies at the University of Cuenca, graduating in 2021. She has experience working with potable water supply in rural areas of Ecuador, having worked for various public institutions in her native country. Her main research interests are related to drinking water and sewage systems, wastewater treatment, and the provision of  water to vulnerable populations. 

Bennett Smith (pronouns: they/them/theirs) is an undergraduate student in the Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are excited to be learning alongside the Spearing Research Group. Bennett has a budding interest in water systems and qualitative analysis; their background lies in community organizing and masonry restoration. Bennett is passionate about the intersection of civil engineering and environmental justice. In their free time, Bennett enjoys rock climbing, gardening, and spending time with friends and family.