Principal Investigator:
Dr. Yudi Wu has been an Assistant Professor at Florida Polytechnic University since 2023. She teaches several core undergraduate courses and is heavily engaged in research. Together with her students and colleagues, she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in leading technical journals.
Her group has been presented at both national conferences and local technical seminars such as American Chemistry Society, Soil Science Society of America, and Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Her primary research interests focus on the fate and transport of contaminants, solid waste management, soil nutrient management, and surface characterization and modification. Her research integrates advanced treatment technologies and sustainable practices to address critical environmental issues related to soil and water pollution, resource recovery, and nutrient management.
Research Scientists:
Actively recruiting...
Undergraduate Research Assistant:
Atticus Blake
May 2025 to present
Atticus Blake is a freshman at Florida Polytechnic majoring in civil engineering. Atticus is an experienced bench chemist with an interest in soil and wastewater remediation techniques. His hobbies include photography, drawing, and reading. Atticus is currently working as an RA in Dr. Wu's lab and hopes to pursue a graduate degree after attaining his bachelors.
Sidney McConnell
May 2024 - Present
Sidney McConnell is a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. Currently, she is working as a research assistant and orientational leader. A project she is working on is an optical tensiometer to measure the surface tension of water, with past projects including an all-paper bright and fabricating a floating arm trebuchet. Her hobbies consist of reading books and enjoying martial arts. She just completed her first summer intership at Siemens (May 2025 to August 2025) and return back to the lab, big congrats!
Presentation:
Dessureault, L., McConnell, Sidney., Nazario, L., Wu, Y., 2024, Recovering Valuable Resources via Hydrothermal Reaction: Effect of Speciation and Composition of Phosphorus Mining Wastes., AEESP Distinguished Lecture Event, University of Florida, FL, September 2024 (Poster presentation)
Sidney McConnell, Daren Watson, Freddy Zeas, Sebastian Anzola, and Yudi Wu*, Assess Surface Tension of Mixture of Surfactants and Perfluoroalkyl Substance via High-Speed Videography, Florida Polytechnic University Research Day, FL, 2025, (Poster presentation, 1st place of civil and environmental engineering department)
Previous research assistants:
Alise Darsch graduated from Florida Polytechnic University in 2025. She worked in the lab from August 2023 to May 2025.During her stay, she successfully completed several poster presentations at local and national conferences, and she won a 3st place certificate at first Research Day at Florida Poly for her research work. She will join USF graduate program in August 2025. Congrats, Alise!
Leith Dessureault is currently a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. He worked in the lab from May 2024 to May 2025. During his stay, he finished two poster presentations and won a 3st place certificate at first Research Day at Florida Poly.
Joy Giangrosso is currently a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Operations Research. She worked in the lab from Feburarary 2025 to May 2025.
Anusha Imran worked as a research scientist in Wu's lab from June 2025 to August 2025. She completed her master's degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is currently working as a Ph.D. student at University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Mara Wallace worked as a research scientist in Wu's lab from June 2025 to August 2025. Mara earned her Bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering from Polytechnic University in May 2025. She is currently working at Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Kade Robinson is currently a senior in Civil Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. He worked in the lab from May 2025 to August 2025.
Je'Shawn Williams is currently a junior in Civil Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. He worked in the lab from May 2025 to August 2025.
Judah Hudson is currently a junior in Civil Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. He worked in the lab from May 2025 to December 2025.
Liana Nazario is currently a junior in Environmental Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. She worked in the lab from May 2024 to December 2025. She finished two poster presentations and won a 3st place certificate at first Research Day at Florida Poly.