The DEEMER Lab is a research group dedicated to developing and testing advanced materials to address today’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges. Our work is an interdisciplinary research effort advancing materials science for environmental resilience and public health protection. Located within UTHealth Houston, School of Public Health, we collaborate closely with utilities, public health agencies, and technology partners to bridge the gap between materials innovation and real-world application.

Water and Energy are connected intricately within our economy and are foundational needs within our civilized society; water supplies rely on energy and energy reserves require water security. As the population increases and demand constrains our economies, solutions for this nexus require advancing materials research in membrane materials to increase economy at scale and processes that employ these materials in energy efficient manner. Combining electrical power, membrane materials, and water gives rise to a rich diversity of electro-driven separation processes which require less chemical use, reduce energy inputs and are well-suited for selective separation of target constituents. In addition, the membrane materials used in electro-driven separations can be applied in energy production (hydrogen, electricity), desalination, and recovery of valuable resources from waste streams.

Focused aims:

1. Studying and evaluating processes which contribute to improving freshwater sustainability, protecting environmental flows, improving recycling of industrial process streams, and municipal wastewater reuse.

2. The design and evaluation of selective membrane materials and manufacturing processes for fit-for-purpose treatment.

3. Evaluating and designing electrochemical processes in industrial processes and recovery applications.