
Rob Nerenberg
Principal Investigator
Rob is a professor in Environmental Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. His research addresses biofilm processes for water and wastewater treatment, with a special focus on membrane-supported biofilms.
Graduate Students

Yanina Nahum
Yanina’s research focuses on the use of low-frequency ultrasound to enhance antibiotic efficiency in biofilms
Contact: ynahum@nd.edu

Emily Clements
Emily studies opportunistic pathogens in drinking water systems and specializes in nitrifying MABR biofilms
Contact: eclement@nd.edu

Saúl García Perez
Saul’s research focuses on algal biofilms as photoreactors as well as characterization of fungal biofilms for WWT
Contact: jgarciap@nd.edu

Alejandro Linares
Alejandro joined us this summer and is working on fungal biofilm to treat wastewater contaminants
Contact: amarti77@nd.edu

Isaiah Murrel-Thomas
Isaiah started this Fall 2022 and is working on water age and Legionella in drinking water systems
Contact: imurrell@nd.edu
Undergraduate Researchers





Visiting Scholars

Yan Yang
PhD student
Chongqing University, China

Bruno Garcia Silva
PhD student
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Eduardo Leiva
Assistant professor
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile

Claudia Sanchez Huerta
PhD student
KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Minmin Jiang
PhD student
Guiling University of Technology, China

Erika Espinosa Ortiz
Assistant Research Professor
Montana State University, USA

Francisca Schiaffino
Undergraduate student
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Alumni
Postdocs

Patricia Perez Calleja
Current position: Manager of R&D at Cimico, Spain

Aura Ontiveros Valencia
Current position: Assistant professor at IPICIT, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Doctoral Students

Bumkyu Kim (2022)
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Mengfei Li (2021)
Current position: Jacobs Engineering

Marcela Vega Muñoz (2019)
Current position: Post-doctoral researcher, UIUC

Fabrizio Sabba (2016)
Current position: Black & Veatch

Marcelo Aybar (2016)
Current position: Assistant Professor, Universidad de Concepcion, Chile

Yue Wang (2015)
Current position: The IFCE, China

Juan Pablo Pavissich (2014)
Current position: Assistant Professor, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile

Kelly Gordon (2013)
Current position: Black & Veatch

Brenda Read-Daily (2011)
Current position: Associate Professor, Elizabethtown college, Elizabethtown, PA

Caitlyn Shea Butler (2009)
Current Position: Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Leon Downing (2008)
Current Position: Black & Veatch
Masters Students

Sarajane Roenke (2022)
Just graduated

Meenu Garg (2019)
Current position: Donohue and Associates, South Bend, IN

Lara Grotz (2018)
Current position: ENFOCUS, South Bend, IN

Andrew DeVries (2015)
Current position: Carollo Engineers, Orlando

Samuel Bruce (2015)
Current position: HDR, Sacramento

Brenda Read-Daily (2011)
Current position: Associate Professor, Elizabethtown college, Elizabethtown, PA

Margaret Dudley (2007)
Current position: unknown

Anna Salamone (2006)
Current position: unknown