Dr. Marwa El-Sayed is an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Aerospace Infrastructure Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and the Director of the Sustainable and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (SEEL).

Her research focuses on understanding the sources, formation, transformation, transport, and impacts of environmental pollutants, with particular emphasis on air quality, atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, emerging contaminants, community air-quality monitoring, and transportation and aerospace emissions. Her work integrates laboratory experiments, field measurements, data analysis, and modeling techniques to better understand how human activities influence environmental systems and to evaluate their implications for human health, climate, sustainability, and environmental decision-making.

Dr. El-Sayed’s broader research interests include atmospheric aerosols and secondary organic aerosol formation, low-cost air-quality sensing, community-scale monitoring, aviation and rocket emissions, environmental sustainability and resilience, and the application of data analytics and machine learning to environmental engineering problems. Her research aims not only to characterize environmental challenges, but also to identify engineering approaches that can reduce pollution, improve environmental quality, and support more sustainable and resilient communities.

Dr. El-Sayed received her Ph.D. in Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where her doctoral research focused on atmospheric aerosols and air pollution, particularly in the eastern United States. She also holds an M.Sc. in Sustainable Engineering from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and an M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Cairo University in Egypt.

Following her doctoral studies, Dr. El-Sayed joined the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University as a postdoctoral fellow, where she participated in field studies investigating air quality and atmospheric composition in the western United States. Earlier in her career, she worked as a research fellow at the National Research Centre in Cairo, where she applied cleaner-production and pollution-prevention principles within Egyptian industries. She has also worked as an environmental consultant on projects in the Middle East and Europe.

Dr. El-Sayed has published extensively in the areas of air quality, atmospheric chemistry, environmental engineering, and sustainability and has presented her research at national and international conferences. She is actively involved in professional service, research collaborations, student mentoring, and the development of interdisciplinary environmental engineering initiatives.

Leadership and Professional Service

• Editorial Board Member, Air Quality and Climate Nexus

• Board of Directors, American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)

• Finance Committee Member, American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)

• Director, Environmental Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2020–2023

• Webinar Chair, AIChE Environmental Division, 2023–2024

• Associate Board Member, Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN), 2024–2026

• Guest Editor, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, Environmental Justice Special Issue

Honors and Recognition

• Early Career Award, Environmental Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2024

• Researcher of the Year, Department of Civil Engineering, ERAU, 2024

• Individual Award, CTLE Small Teaching Challenge, ERAU, 2023

• Best Student Poster Award, American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) Annual Meeting, 2017

• Shell Centenary Scholarship, University of Cambridge, 2008

Research and Professional Awards

• U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) — Characterization of Nano- and Microplastics from Biomass Burning, 2024

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce — Integrating Standards into Aviation/Aerospace and Engineering Curriculum, 2023

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) P3 Grant, Phase I, 2022–2025

• NSF Geosciences Travel Grant — Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork (ASCENT) Workshop, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023

• NSF Faculty Travel Grant — American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2024

• NSF Broadening Participation Award — MPS Workshop for New Investigators, Washington, D.C., 2024

• Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) Grant, ERAU, 2021–2022

• ERAU College of Engineering Research Stimulus Program Grant, 2023

• ERAU College of Engineering Research Stimulus Program Grant, 2022

• Faculty Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST) Grant, ERAU, 2020–2021

Professional Memberships

• American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)

• Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA)

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

• American Chemical Society (ACS)

• Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)

• Johnian Society, St John’s College, University of Cambridge

• Association of Egyptian American Scholars