People

Simeng Li, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering (Environmental & Water Resources)

Dr. Simeng Li joined the Department of Civil Engineeirng at Cal Poly Pomona as an Assistant Professor in August 2019. His area of research and teaching interests focus on multidimensional applications of renewable biomass-derived materials. Dr. Li obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Florida State University in August 2019. His peer-reviewed papers have been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, Waste Management, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, and other scientific and engineering journals. Dr. Li serves as a guest editor for Sustainability journal. He has also reviewed nearly 200 manuscripts for over 30 scholarly journals and books for the Cambridge University Press. Dr. Li is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Water Environment Federation (WEF), Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), and National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Talar Galoustian

Graduate Research Assistant (2021 - present)

Research Focus:

Solar pyrolysis for biochar production

Blanca Calderon

Graduate Research Assistant (2021 - present)

Research Focus:

Surface modification methods for engineered biochar

Celeste Y. Chan

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2020 - present)

Publications:

Engineered biochar production and its potential benefits in a closed-loop water-reuse agriculture system. Water, 12(10), 2847. DOI: 10.3390/w12102847.

Data study of the effect of biochar application on greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils. American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting, March 2022, San Diego, CA. (Poster presentation)

Edward J. Quigley

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2020 - present)

Publications:

Effects of hydrological and climatic variables on Cyanobacteria blooms in four large shallow lakes fed by the Yangtze River. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 5, 100069. DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2020.100069.

Toxicity assessment of 36 herbicides to green algae: Effects of mode of action and chemical family. (Research article currently under review)

Kiem H. Tran

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2021 - present)

Research Focus:

Machine learning tool develop for biochar performance prediction

Corrine Celupica-Liu

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2020 - present)

Publications:

The Use of Se-Accumulators and Hyperaccumulators in Se-Phytoremediation Technologies: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives, Editors: Hossain, M.A., El-Ramady, H., Ahammed, G.J., Islam, T., Kolbert, Z., Schiavon, M., Selenium and Nano-Selenium in Environmental Stress Management and Crop Quality Improvement, Springer. (Under Review)

Karla I. Duran

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2019 - 2020)

Publications:

Energy efficiency of staged reverse osmosis (RO) and closed-circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO) desalination: A model-based comparison. Water Supply, 20(8), 3096-3106. DOI: 10.2166/ws.2020.208

Purified water replenishment brine concentration pilot project. Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research, November 2019, San Marcos, CA. (Oral presentation)