Thanh (Helen) Nguyen, Ph.D.
Biography
Helen Nguyen holds a B.S. with Honors in Geology (Ivan Franko National University of L'viv, Ukraine, 1995), an M.S. in Earth and Environmental Science (University of Illinois at Chicago, 2000), an M.S. in Environmental Engineering (Johns Hopkins University, 2004), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering (Johns Hopkins University, 2005).
Dr. Nguyen joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in November 2006 where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in environmental engineering, with an emphasis on physico-chemical processes for water and wastewater treatments.
Dr. Nguyen is a member of the American Chemical Society (Environmental Chemistry Division and Colloid and Surface Chemistry division), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Prior to joining UIUC, Dr. Nguyen was a Gaylord Donnelley Environmental Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. Dr. Nguyen is the recipient of the 2006 AEESP/CH2M Hill Outstanding Dissertation Award and 2010 NSF CAREER award.
Dr Nguyen is a faculty advisor for an Engineers Without Borders team that won: Engineering Open House - 1st Place in the Real World Category; Central State Water Environment Association and Water Environment Federation Student Design Competition - 1st Place; National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit Student Poster Competition - 1st Place, EPA P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) phase I and II award , 2010. Dr Nguyen also received the ASCE-EWB Sustainable Development Award for advising an EWB team that develops a sustainable engineering solution that explores innovative ways of effectively capturing and utilizing resources, 2010.
Education
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2005
- M.S. Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2004
- M.S. Earth and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2000
- B.S. Geology, Ivan Franko National University of L'viv, 1995
Academic Positions
- Ivan Racheff Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (100%), Aug. 2020-present
- Affiliate, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (100%), Aug. 2020-present
- Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (100%), Aug. 2019-present
- Chair, Environmental Engineering and Science Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017-2019
- Affiliate, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (0%), Oct. 2015-present
Journal Editorships
- Co-Editor-in-Chief, Environment International, 2020-present
- Associate Editor, Environment International, 2018-2020
- Member of Editorial Advisory Board for Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Journal, 2017-present
- Member of Editorial Advisory Board for Environmental Science & Technology Journal, 2017-present
- Guest co-editor for Environmental Virology issue of Current Opinions in Virology, 2012
Professional Societies
- Member of AEESP Award Committee 2013-2016
- Member of Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, 2002-present
- Member of American Geophysical Union, 2006-present
- Member of American Chemical Society, 2002-present
Service on Department Committees
- Chair of Environmental Engineering and Science Program, 2017-2021
Service on College Committees
- Member of search committee for Faculty in Pathobiology Veterinary Medicine, academic year 2012-2013
- Member of Safety Advisory Board Committee at College of Engineering, Fall 2016
Service on Campus Committees
- Member of University biosafety committee, current
Service to Federal and State Government
- NSF panel Oct 2020, April 2021, June 2021
- NAS Panel on Groundwater Recharge and Flow, 2019
- NSF, site visit team for PIRE project, May 2018
- NSF panel, Nov. 2016
- USEPA review panel, 2011
Other Outside Service
- Organize annual workshop on food safety and water treatment for local and small farms. This is a collaboration with Illinois Extension and funded by USDA. Link to video of workshop in Spring 2018 http://bit.ly/ILLocalFoodsYouTube
- Paper review: Environmental Science and Technology, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Organic Geochemistry, Journal of Environmental Engineering, Biomacromolecules, Langmuir, Water Research, Chemosphere, Journal of Environmental Quality, Journal of American Chemical Society.