Current Fellow
(2024-2025)
Sitao Liu, UC Riverside
Sitao Liu is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside under the guidance of Prof. Haizhou Liu.
Liu's research project titled, “Development of an enhanced vacuum UV system for PFAS destruction in brine concentrate: harnessing the promotive effects of salinity” aims to use common brine anions, such as chloride and sulfate to accelerate PFAS degradation under UV irradiation.
Vacuum UV (VUV) is a clean and sustainable medium that can photolyze chloride and sulfate into hydrated electrons, which are an effective radical for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) destruction. Elevated levels of PFAS often coexist with chloride and sulfate in brine concentrate, and are critical to treat and remove from the waste stream.
This process takes advantage of naturally occurring brine anions, chloride and sulfate, to achieve complete PFAS destruction in the VUV system.
NWRI-SCSC Graduate Fellowship
SCSC established a fellowship dedicated to managing salinity in water resources in collaboration with the National Water Research Institute. The NWRI-SCSC Fellowship grants up to $10,000 a year for two years to support a graduate student whose research addresses the critical need to remove or reduce salt in water supplies.
Research areas that we support include engineering sciences, physical and chemical sciences, biological sciences, health sciences, political sciences, and planning and public policy. A few examples of SCSC research interests are:
-
Wastewater concentrate management
-
Institutional and regulatory issues
-
Economics of reducing salinity
-
Innovative treatment technologies
-
Regional and watershed planning solutions
-
Public education and awareness
-
Recycled water and wastewater treatment
Application Requirements
The fellowship is available to graduate students in good standing from any academic institution in Southern California, which is defined as: north to south between Santa Barbara and San Diego, and extending from the Pacific Coast east to the border with Arizona and Nevada. Please note that students must be enrolled in a Southern California academic institution to receive the fellowship.
Application information is on the NWRI website.
For questions about the fellowship, please email the Fellowship Coordinator.