People

Faculty

Director

Affiliated Faculty

Current Students

Gita Bhushal Adhikary’s research interests lie in current environmental issues, including flood resilience, human-wildlife conflict, ecological stressors, and conservation of biodiversity. She is interested in community institutions such as community forest user groups and their involvement in flood resilience. She hopes to devote her life towards achieving a sustainable future and healthy environment for the generations to come.

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Ohene Adomako’s research interests lie in social–ecological systems. His current research examines how perceived and actual zoonotic disease risks influence wild meat consumer behavior, with a focus on the ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and behavioral determinants of zoonotic and foodborne disease risk in two biodiverse regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Arif’s research interests involve the consequences of agrochemical residues on freshwater ecosystems.

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My research interests focus on urban toxic metal contamination, using environmental data analysis and modeling to support risk-informed urban planning and remediation.

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My previous research was regarding the effectiveness of culverts for amphibian crossing. I am interested in continuing to look at the effectiveness of culverts and the impact of roads on amphibian migration.

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My research interest covers marine animals. I have been working with morphology since my master’s research work. I am still stick to morphology. I am now working with the morphological variation of clinging jellyfish. Through morphology, I want to decode the mystery of the clinging jellyfish’s relationship with the environment. Broadly, if I am saying my research interest is marine animals, morphology, ecology, and biodiversity.

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Shane’s research is aimed at better understanding of coastal processes, in order to better manage anthropogenic influences on marine environments. His research seeks to understand how planning and management practices can limit the negative effects that result from increased development in coastal areas, including evaluation of the roles of federal, state and local government and organization in drafting policy.

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My research focuses on investigating the behavior of metal contaminants in urban soils and developing novel remediation techniques for contaminated soil.

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My research interests is modelling the movement of contaminants in groundwater.

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My research interest is in entomology, specifically vector biology. My research will focus on epigenetic responses of the mosquito Culex pipiens f. molestus to environmental stressors.

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My research interest involves climate studies. I will be conducting paleoclimatological research using geological archives.

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Mike’s research focuses on technoeconomic and life cycle analyses of bioenergy production through switchgrass and sugarcane bagasse in U.S.

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Md Shahnul’s research interests include monitoring toxic metal contamination of surface water, soil, and sediment, as well as their environmental risk assessment.

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I am interested in Hydrological and climate modeling.

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Nicolina Lentine’s research interests are in Environmental Science and Chemistry. She specifically wishes to focus on soil pollution and how it impacts soil composition and plant growth. She hopes to build off her previous work at Villanova University and expand it into something wonderful at MSU.

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My research focuses on developing and optimizing innovative solutions for safeguarding public health through the removal of emerging contaminants. My core expertise lies in the treatment of trace organic pollutants in drinking water and, specifically, the challenge of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)—the “forever chemicals.” I am driven by the urgent need to translate cutting-edge scientific discovery into practical, scalable engineering solutions for water security.

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Trang’s research focuses on the effects of economic activities, notably the tourism industry, on the environment of Vietnam, and how sustainable development may mitigate the adverse effects of tourism. This work will contribute to the body of knowledge and play a role in Vietnam’s economic development while protecting its environment.

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My research interests focus on evaluating the environmental impacts of consumer products, particularly cosmetics, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and water footprint analysis, with an emphasis on sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental management practices.

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Cristian Camilo Noriega Monsalve holds a B.S. in Topographic Engineering from Francisco José de Caldas District University in Bogotá, Colombia. His undergraduate studies focused on geospatial data analysis, including GPS positioning, geology, road geometry design and localization, and real-world land surveying and cartography. He later earned an M.S. in Data Science from Montclair State University, with an emphasis on data mining and machine learning, and applied research in offshore wind farm geolocation and spatial energy analysis.

Cristian’s research interests lie at the intersection of data science, environmental systems, and intelligent automation. His current research focuses on collaborative robotics for the disassembly of electronic waste and electric vehicles, with an emphasis on sustainability, human-centric system design, and circular-economy principles. More broadly, his work aligns with the emerging paradigm of Industry 5.0, integrating artificial intelligence, data-driven modeling, and human-in-the-loop approaches to support sustainable and socially responsible industrial systems.

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Mayala is a PhD student working on carbon emission and sequestration rate after a large CO2 pulse from the Siberian Traps volcanism. In his Master’s, he studied foraminiferal biostratigraphy and depositional environment of the Drilled Early Cretaceous Succession in Durban Basin, East Coast, South Africa using well cuttings, conventional cores, seismic data and well logs. In his BS (Honours), he did facies analysis of clastic sediment of well Jc-B1 Durban Basin, East Coast of South Africa using well logs and conventional cores in addition to Interactive Petrophysics (IP) to investigate facies variations within the well Jc-B1 of the Offshore Durban Basin.

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My doctoral research focuses on the design, optimization, and siting of polygeneration (CCHP+) energy systems to support next-generation infrastructure such as data centers and urban district energy networks. I integrate geographic information systems (GIS), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), and AI/ML-based energy modeling to evaluate technical performance, economic viability, emissions, and resilience across brownfield and greenfield development pathways.

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In my previous role as Research Associate-Ecosystems at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal, I worked on diverse topics such as Climate change, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Water Resource Management, Landslide Risk Assessments and Watershed Management Planning. Continuing my work and following my interest, I will be conducting my research focused on Nature-based solutions for DRR synergizing it with sustainable energy. As a Graduate Research Assistant, I will be working in Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center (CESAC) on offshore wind energy and its impact on recreational fisheries.

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Sarahana’s MS thesis research focused on the role of gender in the use of natural resources with an aim to improve the efficacy of both conservation and gender equity through tailored policy suggestions which consider the complex interactions between identity and natural resource use. Her current doctoral research is on energy equity, to address the gaps that exist in the field of energy equity and access to clean energy using machine learning techniques by studying the socioeconomic and regional differences in and within communities.

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in New Jersey’s ground and drinking water systems, developing advanced detection and transport modeling frameworks, and evidence-based remediation strategies.

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During my master’s, I worked on applying X-let transforms (such as wavelet, curvelet, contourlet, and shearlet transform) to detect damages. Now, I will work to better understand the extinction of species in food webs and the susceptibility of the food web to invasive species. This research will utilize topics from applied mathematics, dynamical systems, environmental science, and structural health monitoring.

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Nisarg’s research focuses on the intersection of advanced analytics and systems decarbonization, with a primary emphasis on the healthcare sector. By leveraging quantitative and sustainability frameworks, he seeks to optimize operational efficiencies and reduce environmental impact. His broader research aims to develop scalable, interdisciplinary solutions applicable across various sectors navigating the transition toward a more resilient and sustainable future.

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Anvy’s research is aimed at achieving a sustainable occupational environment for developing communities. This is an issue that requires attention to many environmental management perspectives and adopting an interdisciplinary approach. Natural science, business, and social science perspectives work in unison to solve these complex problems. Her research fosters understanding of how pollutants affect human populations and the natural environment. This work consists of the identification and quantification of immediate and long-term patterns. She utilizes geospatial technology (GIS) and related geostatistical methods, and the stratification of disturbance levels in unhealthy environments.

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Qingting (Tina) Wu’s previous research explored the productivity patterns during the Quaternary in the eastern equatorial Pacific using foraminifera. Her current research focuses on the dynamic climate and biogeochemistry of the P-Tr extinction event and Cenozoic using Earth system modeling, as well as the tropical ocean lithium and boron isotopes. She aims to enhance the understanding of paleoclimatology, especially the effect of massive carbon dioxide emission and sequestration on the ecosystem.

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Research interests: Reclamation of metal contaminated soil using phytoremediation techniques.

 

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Andy’sresearch interests involve environmental and climate policy, with a focus on aviation emissions, policy design, and the effectiveness of regulatory approaches across industries.

Alumni

Year	Name	Dissertation Title	Current Position
2014	Marcia L. Anderson	The Effectiveness of Venue Strategies for Environmental Communication in Non-Agricultural, School Integrated Pest Management Campaigns	Environmental Specialist US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 2
2020	Anthony J. Bevacqua	The Spatial Economics of Clean Energy in New Jersey	Research Scientist New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
2017	Alejandra Maria Bozzolasco	Using a Mixed-Methods Approach to Understand Urban Children’s Nature Conceptions, Ecological Worldviews and Environmental Perceptions and Preferences Before and After Attending an Environmental Education Program	Adjunct Instructor Rampo College
2018	Pralhad Burli	Economic and Environmental Assessment of Advanced Biofuels : Adoption Under Uncertainty, Farmer Willingness, and Land Use Implications	Agricultural Economist The Energy, Environment, Science, & Technology Division Idaho National Laboratory
2009	Jennifer Rose Callanan	Long-Term Impacts of Forest Fires on Soil Chemical Properties as a Result of Mineral Alterations and Its Implications for Forest Management Practices	Assistant Professor & Chairperson Department of Environmental Science William Patterson University
2019	Daniel James Ciarletta	Reconstructing Barrier Island Behavior from Overstepped Deposits and Relict Onshore Morphology : Modeling and Field Approaches	Mendenhall Postdoc Fellow United States Geological Survey
2014	Padmini Das	Chemically Catalyzed Phytoremediation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) Contaminated Soil by Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.)	Postdoctoral Research Associate Montclair State University
2015	Joseph J. Di Gianni	Exploration of the Current State and Directions of Dynamic Ridesharing	Adjunct Instructor Montclair State University
2015	Luke J. Diglio	An Assessment of New Jersey Trout Production Systems : a Movement Towards Sustainability	AP & General Environmental Science Teacher Pequannock Township High School
2014	Paola Dolcemascolo	Anthropogenic Disturbance of the Herpetofauna in the Northeast US : Wildlife Disease and Habitat Modification	Full Stack Software Engineer Self-Employed
2015	Rocio Raquel Duchesne-Onoro	Changes in Tall Shrub Abundance on the North Slope of Alaska, 2000-2010	Assistant Professor Department of Geography & Geology University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
2021	Xu Du	Mining Social Media and Structured Data in Urban Environmental Management to Develop Smart Cities
2016	Melissa A. Hansen	An Assessment of Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics from a Pliocene Polar Paleoclimate Archive	Adjunct Instructor Montclair State University & Kean University
2018	Pricila Iranah	Bridging Gaps Between Conservation Action and Policy on Small Island Developing States – Case Analog of The Republic of Mauritius	Postdoctoral Research Associate University of Nebraska at Kearney
2021	Arye Max Janoff	Community-Scale Beach Nourishment and Groin Construction Decisions Along Human-Modified Coasts : The Interplay Between Socioeconomics, Coordination, Tourism, and Shoreline Change	Knauss Marine Policy Fellow U.S. House of Representatives
2014	Amy V. Johnson-Ferdinand	Spatial Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Urban Redevelopment	Director, Environmental Safety and Sustainability Montclair State University
2016	Melissa Ann Koberle-Harclerode	Evaluating Sustainable Aspects of Hazardous Waste Remediation	Project Manager & Environmental Scientist CDM Smith
2009	Naushad Kollikkathara	Integrated System Dynamic Study and Prognosis on Municipal Solid Waste Management for Northern New Jersey Urban Area	Assistant Professor Data Analytics School of Business at Mercy College
2013	Shevon Jean Letang	Citizens’ Perspectives of Access to the Decision Making Process and Community Improvement as Determinants of Brownfields Redevelopment Success	Sustainability and Environmental Coordinator Montclair State University
2017	Nanzhu Li	Ferrate as a New Treatment Chemical for Removal of Effluent Organic Matter (EfOM) and Emerging Micro-Pollutants in Treated Municipal Wastewater for Water Reuse	Environmental Scientist BEM Systems Inc.
2015	Faith Karegi Muriithi	An Integrated Approach to Assessing Spread of Commercial Horticulture and Related Environmental Impacts on Watersheds : Cases in Central Highlands of Kenya	Data Analyst Citi
2018	Garrett T. Nieddu	Outbreak and Extinction Dynamics in Stochastic Populations	Postdoctoral Research Associate Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Los Alamos National Labs
2017	Rosita G. Nunez	Antecedents and Consequences of CSR Reporting by Corporations : The Role of Management Strategy and Organization Characteristics	Adjunct Faculty Rampo College & Stevens Institute of Technology
2010	Michael Amamechi Nwachukwu	Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Management of Occupational Wastes in Automobile Mechanic Villages, Imo River Basin, Nigeria	Professor Department of Environmental Management Federal University of Technology Owerri
2020	Robert B. Oleksy	Assessing the Capabilities and Limitations of Privatizing State Environmental Remediation Programs
2014	Kevin Olsen	Organic Geochemical Investigations of Urban Sediments by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectroscopy	Research Tech Specialist Department of Chemistry Montclair State University
2020	Sydney Oluoch	Socioeconomic Analyses of Renewable Energy Options for Sub-Saharan Africa : A Regional and National Approach	Research Fellow Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center
2014	Naz Onel	Antecedents of Environmentally Sensitive Consumer Behaviors : an Investigation of Goal Framing Theory	Assistant Professor of Business Studies – Marketing Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
2008	Victor Udoka Onwueme	Characterization and Assessment of Contaminated Sediments in Lower Passaic River, New Jersey	Civil Engineer Department of Watershed Management, City of Atlanta
2014	Michael Joseph Pawlish	Modeling A Green Decision Support System for Data Center Sustainability	Assistant Professor School of Business & Digital Media Georgian Court University
2014	Pravin Anraj Punamiya	Green Remediation of Veterinary Antibiotics in Soil-Water Systems	Environmental Project Engineer / DuPont Site Representative (DSR) Parsons Corporation
2015	Yu Qian	Biogeochemical Studies of Metal Uptake and Transportation in Plants on an Urban Brownfield	Lecturer Yunnan University, China
2018	Dena J. Restaino	Molecular Ecology and Management of Nuisance and Invasive Marine Species : Chrysaora chesapeakei, Moerisia sp., and Gonionemus vertens	Adjunct Professor II County College of Morris
2020	Alessandra Rossi	Water Quality and Management Challenges in Urban New Jersey	Postdoctoral Researcher New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology
2016	Abhishek Roy-Chowdhury	Green Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)-Impacted Soil and Water	Assistant Professor Navajo Technical University
2014	Sagarika Roy	Hydrologic Modeling in Semi-Arid Agricultural Region : An Integrated Approach to Study Water Resources in Southern San Joaquin Valley, California	AVP Swiss Re
	Aimann Sadik	Corporate Social Responsibility and the Gold Mining Industry : The Ghana Experience	Senior Environmental Assessment Administrator Ministry of Environment, Government of Saskatchewan, Canada
2018	Rebecca Shell	Benthic Invertebrate Communities of Barnegat Bay New Jersey : Effects of Hard-Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria L.) Aquaculture Grow-Outs on Benthic Communities
2017	Natalie R. Sherwood	Risks Associated with Harvesting and Human Consumption of Two Turtle Species in New Jersey
2016	Virinder Pal Singh Sidhu	Establishing a Vegetative Cap for Sustainable Stabilization of Copper Contaminated Soils in Torch Lake, Michigan	Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering University of Toronto
2019	Jay Prakash Singh	Microbial Community, Functioning, and Its Relationship with Heavy Metals in an Urban Brownfield	Postdoctoral Research Fellow Thompson River University
2015	Sushant Kumar Singh	Assessing and Mapping Vulnerability and Risk Perceptions to Groundwater Arsenic Contamination : Towards Developing Sustainable Arsenic Mitigation Models	Data Scientist VirtusaPolaris
2021	Meghann N. Smith	Sustainability of Hard Apple Cider : An Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment
2018	Hanieh Soleimanifar	Water Treatment Residual Coated Wood Mulch for Mitigation of Toxic Metals and Phosphate from Polluted Urban Stormwater Runoff	Postdoctoral Researcher Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio
2014	Benjamin Barnett Witherell	Watershed-Based Water Quality Management	Chief Economist NJ Board of Public Utilities
2016	Bernabas T. Wolde	Socioeconomic and Environmental Assessment of Woody Biofuels in Southern United States	CESAC Program Manager Montclair State University
2010	Seth Kwaku Xeflide	An Assessment of the Surface Water Resource Potential of New Jersey, USA	Independent Consultant DS Evex Group Limited
2008	Sandow Mark Yidana	Management of Groundwater for Productive Uses in the Afram Plains Area, Ghana	Professor Department of Earth Science University of Ghana, Legon
2020	Lei Zheng	Ferrate(VI) for Wastewater Treatment : Phosphorus Removal
2021	Diane Hagman	Effect of Abiotic Factors on Enzyme Activity in Brownfield Soils
2021	Jesse Kolodin	A Geo-Economic Framework for Dune Construction and Long-Term Coastal Resiliency in New Jersey
2021	Taylor Wieczerak	Understanding Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and Green Infrastructure Interaction in New Jersey : An Economic Analysis
2022	Nadia Jamil	Arsenic : Risk, Exposure, Policy and Management
2022	Felix Oteng	Assessment of Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Hydrology and Water Resource Availability in the Passaic River Basin, New Jersey
2023	Jing Nie	Seasonal Variations in Nutrient and Total Suspended Solids Sources and Fluxes in Rivers of Northern New Jersey and Newark Bay, USA
2023	Junkui Cui	Destruction of PFOA on Ion-exchange Resin with Advanced Reduction Processes to Regenerate Resins for Addressing PFOA Pollution in Drinking Water
2022	Bhagyashree P. Vaidya	Impact of Adding Natural and Simulated Root Exudates on the Functioning of Contaminated Soil
2022	Gia Nguyen	The Effect of Climate Change, Human Activity, and Water Management Interventions on Environmental and Socio-Economic Outcomes in the Mekong Delta Region
2023	Erik Lyttek	The Fate of Fraxinus spp. in New Jersey : A Physioeconomic Evaluation of the Forest System and Infrastructure Implications
2024	Rae Cade	Water Justice and Equity: the disproportionate effects of pollution on Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color
2024	Oluwafemi Soetan	Evaluation of Heavy Metal Pollution, Water Quality, and the Effectiveness of Remedial Sediment Dredging in the Lower Passaic River, New Jersey
2024	Shih-Chieh Chien	A Global Analysis of Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Natural and Anthropogenic Soils
2024	Isamar Cortes	Exploring the Effects of Climate Conditions on Mangrove Island Systems Across the Caribbean
2024	Martha Mahady	The Influence of Edaphic Factors on the Growth and Competitiveness of Loosestrife (Lythrum spp.)
2024	Victoria Hojnacki	Onset of Antarctic Glaciation at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in the Weddell Sea and its Impact on Ocean Circulation
2024	Michael Viteritto	An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Freshwater Wetlands with a Focus on Ecosystem Functions and Services
2023	Yaritza Acosta Caraballo	Assessment of Phytoplankton Assemblages and Harmful Algal Blooms in New Jersey
2025	Balasuriya, Divomi
2025	Bermudez, Hermann	A Multi-Proxy Approach for Understanding the Chicxulub Asteroid Impact (Cretaceous / Paleogene Boundary) and its Aftermath
2025	Darko, Radakovic
2025	Johnson, Lisa	Transformative Urban Governance: Integrating Sustainability, Predictive Analytics, and Interagency Collaboration
2025	Knoble, Charles	Don’t Let Lead Lead on Environmental Justice: A Simulative Approach to Lead Remediation in the Big Data Era
2025	Libman-Roshal, Olga	Ocean-Ice Sheet Interactions during Super-interglacial MIS 31: Comparison of Rock Magnetic Records from the Scotia Sea (59.1°S) and Fram Strait (76.5°N)
2025	Lin, Qiufeng	Ferrate(VI)-Enabled Water Reuse for Agricultural Irrigation
2025	Mirza, Sana
2025	O’Connor, Cailin
2025	Oyen, Toritseju
2025	Prasad, Archana	Exploring Coupled Land Use — Climate Change Impacts in the Northeast United States from 2020-2025 with Implications for Bombus Habitat Suitability
2025	Provost, Nicole	New Jersey’s Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change: An Economic Analysis of the State’s Societal Benefits Charge and Community Solar Energy Program
2025	Tariq, Zainab
2025	Wheelan, Justin	Regulation of ICER Degradation and Its Role in Melanoma
2025	Yang, Lisitai	Identifying and Addressing Challenges of Small Community Water Systems (CWS) in Puerto Rico
2025	Zimmerman, Kelly	Thermal Biology of the Eastern Treehole Mosquito Aedes Triseriatus (Diptera: Culcidae) and Other Vertivorous Dipterans