Our Team

 

Our Team

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“To innovate, we take risks, are courageous and do not fear rejection.”

If you are interested in joining SEEEL, we are interested in you. However, as with any research lab, there are fit, resources, and timing factors to consider. If you would like to inquire about joining SEEEL, please feel free to chat with one of our existing lab members (please see below). You are also welcome to reach out to Dr. Joe Bozeman III directly (Note: Please allow extra time for email responses or the like in this case).

Catharina Hollauer (Ph.D. Student, Civil Engineering, Lab Administrator)  received an M.Sc. in Operations Research from the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department (ISYE) at Georgia Tech. Her interests are centered at the intersection of machine learning, climate change, circular economy, and energy. Her research includes uncertainty quantification in machine learning models in natural language processing (NLP), Computer Vision, decision-making under uncertainty, and statistical modeling.

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Arjun Thangaraj Ramshankar (Ph.D. Student, Environmental Engineering, Lab Manager) developed an interest in cleaner energy production during his mechanical engineering undergraduate pursuit in India. He focuses on cleaner energy and food production, employing life cycle assessment as a primary approach to quantify the environmental, economic and social impacts of relevant technologies, with a goal of achieving equity and accessibility. On a personal level, he is a fan of Manchester United and Roger Federer. Furthermore, Arjun is part of the Georgia Tech racquetball and chess club.

Email: arjunthangaraj@gatech.edu

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Becky Rafter (Ph.D. Student, Public Policy) specializes in energy, equity, the environment, and nuclear harm reduction. As a researcher, she uses advanced mixed methodologies and follows the lead of communities directly affected by systemic policy discrimination. As a grad student instructor, she follows evidence-based practices of teaching, learning, and decolonized approaches to help students develop analyses to move quickly to mastery. As a trans-disciplinarist and generalist, Becky brings to SEEEL her affiliation with several labs and projects across the institute and throughout the U.S. South. She is a seasoned nonprofit leader with demonstrated success in advancing equity, co-designing community-based research, and mobilizing resources. Furthermore, Becky has an MPA in international policy and nonprofit management from NYU, a master’s in sustainable energy and environmental management (MSEEM) from GA Tech, and a bachelor’s in international relations and Spanish from Agnes Scott College.

Ahmed Ibrahim Yunus (Ph.D. student, Environmental Engineering) developed an interest in sustainable and renewable solutions as a practitioner by bridging the gap between environmental engineering and the circular economy. His research centers on water and wastewater treatment with a focus on sustainable water and wastewater treatment for reuse, renewable energy production through anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge, and solids treatment for beneficial reuse. Ahmed also likes to spend time with his family and plays around with new tools and technology for fun. He also follows popular soccer leagues and plays the sport himself.

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Sunghyun Jee (Ph.D. Student, Civil Engineering) focuses on construction and infrastructure systems engineering. His research interest is to develop sustainable frameworks and policy proposals for spatial interdependencies of embodied energy in building and/or infrastructure construction materials. His methods include life cycle assessment and material flow analysis as tools for assessing environmental impacts. Sunghyun also enjoys watching and playing sports like soccer, basketball, and tennis. He also likes to watch movies, enjoy his family, and is a big fan of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars.

Email: shjee@gatech.edu

Wyatt Williams (Master’s Student, Environmental Engineering | Business Administration) is interested in material use, disposal, and circularity with an emphasis on private supply chains. His research on circular economy topics focuses on indicator creation and scenario comparison. He uses life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and techno-economic analysis to show secondary-material use’s economic, environmental, and social benefits. Outside of his research, Wyatt works as a solid waste consultant and spends his free time playing strategy games like Settlers of Catan and Hearthstone.  

Email: wwilliams82@gatech.edu

Kelly Farmer (Master’s Student, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management) is focused on the techno-economic assessment of bio-based materials for carbon sequestration in building construction. Kelly is interested in circularity and life cycle assessment, particularly with respect to applications in product design. She has practitioner experience in mechanical engineering.

Steffi Acevedo (Master’s Student, Civil Engineering) holds a role within both the construction industry and academic research. She began her professional career at the Turner Construction Company, evolving from field engineer to project engineer, to cost analyst. Concurrently, she assumed the role of Sustainability Champion in the Atlanta Business Unit in 2020, serving as a liaison between headquarters and the local office to advance sustainability initiatives. In August 2023, Steffi began pursuing her graduate degree with a focus on sustainable development. Since joining SEEEL, she has explored the topics of embodied carbon and construction waste circularity, integrating insights from both professional practice and academia. This dual perspective empowers Steffi to contribute meaningfully to discussions surrounding environmental impact mitigation and the promotion of sustainable practices within the construction industry. Outside of work and studies, Steffi spends her free time traveling to US National Parks, enjoying concerts, and reading.  

Alyssa Zandstra (Undergrad, Environmental Engineering) is originally from Texas but lived in Singapore and the United Kingdom before coming to Atlanta. She is interested in climate action and waste reduction strategies as well as the intersections between environmental and social sustainability, which is what brought her to SEEEL. Alyssa looks forward to assisting with research that has a positive impact! 

TanyaNguyen (2024 – High School Student, Marketing Manager) developed an interest in SEEEL due to its unique integration of addressing both social equity and present-day environmental issues. She currently attends South Gwinnett High School and plans to study environmental engineering in college. Her marketing experience stems from her position as Marketing Department Head in a student-led, county-level environmental organization. She plans to help SEEEL’s social media presence. 

Affiliate/Graduated/Transitioned (Archived):

Samyuktha Swaminathan (Master’s Student, Environmental Engineering) is currently working on the techno-economic implications of supply chain activities in transportation. Samyuktha has a background in Mechanical Engineering. During her undergraduate studies she worked as an intern at Ensys Technologies (an environmental services firm) in Chennai, India, where she was introduced to wastewater treatment, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessments, and management plans. These experiences encouraged her to follow her passion in Environmental Engineering. Her research interests include green technology, circular economy, life cycle assessment and wastewater treatment. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, reading books, and trekking.  

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Suemin Lee (Undergrad, Civil Engineering) is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering with minors in Sustainable Cities and Computer Science. What attracted her to SEEL was learning how staples of our lifestyles— e.g., our diets, methods of transportation, and household products—affect our environment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys trying new foods, doing yoga, and working as a barista.

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Preksha Jain (Undergrad, Civil Engineering) is a guacamole enthusiast, firstly attracted to join SEEEL because of the potential for sustainability initiatives within civil infrastructure systems. Society interacts with civil infrastructure daily, so having the opportunity to research and innovate through this lab has exciting potential to have a substantial impact!

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Jackie Zong (Undergrad, Civil Engineering) is from China and has lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Architecture. What attracted him to SEEEL was its combination of environmental sustainability and human interaction. He has research interests in the life cycle of construction materials and building technology. Jackie is also a Formula One fan, and his favorite team is McLaren.

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Ayushi Aggarwal (2023 – M.S. in Environmental Engineering) has a background in chemical engineering, having worked on nutrient recovery from wastewater pollutant removal by using bioprocesses and developing models on wastewater treatment plants using artificial neural networks. In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, cooking meals, and trekking.

Email: aaggarwal322@gatech.edu

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Aditya Desai (2023 – M.S. in Environmental Engineering) research includes sustainable energy technologies, transportation, and urban infrastructure. He holds a degree in Biotechnology and Environmental Biotechnology. In the past, he has worked with the state government of Maharashtra and UNDP to advance climate action and women entrepreneurship across the state. Aditya is passionate about urban and energy policies, international partnerships, and astronomy. Outside of work, you can find Aditya watching Sumo, going to the beach, or sharing his love of Indian cuisine.

Email: adityadesai@gatech.edu

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Elshaday Girma Berhanu (2022 – B.S. in Environmental Engineering) has lived in Ethiopia and Tunisia before coming to the U.S. for college. What attracted her to SEEEL was its overlap of equity, public policy, environmental sustainability, and climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions. Elshaday would like her research to have a positive impact on vulnerable and marginalized communities that face the effects of environmental and climate injustice in regions in and outside of the U.S.

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Matthew Powell (2022 – B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) is from Miramar, Florida. During his pursuit of a minor in Public Policy, he became interested in how practices in policy and engineering tend to obfuscate the value-ladenness of design and operation decisions. He was attracted to SEEEL by their willingness to synthesize approaches from many disciplines and the emphasis on equity as a pillar of effective engineering. Outside of the lab, he enjoys reading an unreasonable backlog of used books, working on charcoal drawings, and lifting.

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Paul Ambrose (2022 – M.S. in Environmental Engineering) has the goal of applying the technical knowledge he learns from his classes to society good. He was initially attracted to SEEEL because of its mission of providing more equitable access to food and clean water for all socioeconomic backgrounds, given the current disparity in resource distribution. Paul would like to find ways to reduce food waste, while while improving food distribution outcomes that ensure hunger and poverty is reduced.

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Sam Beagle (Undergrad, Civil Engineering) was attracted to SEEEL because it not only works within engineering, but it also aims to have an impact on people in all fields of work and from all walks of life. SEEEL’s guiding principles make the work much more worthwhile, and he is very excited to be involved. Outside of SEEEL, he plays club soccer at Georgia Tech and watches a lot of soccer and basketball. He is pursuing a minor in Industrial Design because of his appreciation for garment construction and high fashion.