People
PEOPLE
Lab members.
Past and present researchers in the Aziz Lab. Prospective students should reach out directly — see the Contact page for details.
Principal Investigator
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Tarek N. Aziz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Tarek N. Aziz is an Associate Professor in Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering at NC State, where he’s been since starting as a PhD student in 2005. His lab works on water and waste problems at the intersection of engineering and the natural environment, with projects spanning fungal bioremediation, harmful algal blooms, anaerobic digestion, and nature-based stormwater solutions.
Graduate Students & Postdocs
PhD candidates, master’s researchers, and postdoctoral scholars who have advanced the lab’s research portfolio.
CURRENT
Carter Shay
Ph.D. Student
Carter is a Ph.D. student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Aziz Lab developing nature-based solutions for stormwater management. He brings prior industry experience from BL Companies to his work bridging engineering practice and environmental research.
ALUMNI
Aaron Mann
M.S., 2025
Aaron's M.S. research characterized the carbon signature of white-rot fungal degradation of woodchips for stormwater treatment. He is now an Environmental Professional Engineer at Jacobs, designing equitable water infrastructure.
ALUMNI
Leah Weaver
Ph.D., 2024
Leah completed her Ph.D. on fungal bioremediation for stormwater contaminants. She is now an engineer with the North Carolina Utilities Commission – Public Staff, applying her water-quality and modeling expertise to energy and integrated resource planning.
ALUMNI
Anthony Young
M.S., 2021
Anthony's M.S. research developed partial denitrification + anammox processes for tertiary wastewater treatment. He is now a Principal Engineer (PE) at Hazen and Sawyer in Charlotte.
ALUMNI
Arpit Sardana
Ph.D., 2021
Arpit completed his Ph.D. on indirect photodegradation in wastewater-treatment constructed wetlands. He is now an Environmental Engineer (Ph.D., PE) at Geosyntec Consultants in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Monica Camacho
M.S., 2020
Monica was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow whose M.S. research used agent-based modeling to study harmful algal blooms. She is now an Environmental Engineer (PE) at CDM Smith in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Yue Han
Ph.D., 2020
Yue completed his Ph.D. on mechanistic and statistical modeling of mixing and harmful algal bloom formation. He continues his research career as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Pittsburgh.
ALUMNI
Eric Polli
M.S., 2019
Eric's M.S. research developed partial denitrification + anammox processes for tertiary wastewater treatment. He is now a Senior Principal Engineer (PE) at Hazen and Sawyer in Seattle.
ALUMNI
Yini Shangguan
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2019
Yini was a postdoctoral researcher in the Aziz Lab using water-column reactors to study harmful algal blooms in shallow eutrophic reservoirs. She is now a Software Engineer at Meta in Mountain View, California.
ALUMNI
Alexandre Mangot
M.S., 2018
Alexandre's M.S. research used water-column reactors to study harmful algal blooms in shallow eutrophic reservoirs. He is now a Project Manager and PE at Summit Design and Engineering Services in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Jeremy Smithheart
M.S., 2018
Jeremy's M.S. research field-monitored the effects of mixing on harmful algal blooms. He is now a Water Resources Engineer at Moffatt & Nichol in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Elvin Hossen
M.S., 2013
Elvin's M.S. research focused on anaerobic co-digestion of fat, oil, and grease waste. He is now a Process Engineering Manager (Ph.D., PE) at De Nora, leading PFAS treatment and ion-recovery R&D and commercialization.
ALUMNI
Phillip Pressley
M.S., 2013
Phillip's M.S. research provided a techno-economic analysis of solid-waste conversion to liquid fuels. He is now a Senior Project Manager at TRC Companies, Inc. in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Ling Wang
M.S., 2012
Ling's M.S. research focused on anaerobic co-digestion of fat, oil, and grease waste. She is now a Clinical Data Scientist / Metrics Scientist at DRT Strategies in the Washington, D.C. area.
ALUMNI
Hunter Long
M.S., 2011
Hunter's M.S. research applied life-cycle analysis to anaerobic co-digestion. He is now a Process Engineer at BP in Houston.
Undergraduate Researchers
Undergraduates working on senior-design projects, independent study, and summer research.
CURRENT
Lucas Merriam
Undergraduate Researcher
Lucas is an undergraduate researcher in the Aziz Lab studying bioretention cells for enhanced denitrification. He is currently pursuing his degree at NC State.
CURRENT
Meredith Hobler
Undergraduate Researcher
Meredith is an undergraduate researcher in the Aziz Lab developing new methods for detecting microplastics in water. She is pursuing her degree in Environmental Engineering at NC State.
ALUMNI
Rebecca Williams
Undergraduate Researcher, 2026
Rebecca conducted undergraduate research in the Aziz Lab on fungal bioremediation, water quality, and bridge corrosion. She is completing her degree in Environmental Engineering at NC State.
ALUMNI
Grace Davis
Undergraduate Researcher, 2025
Grace led water-quality monitoring of non-potable water systems on NC State's Centennial Campus as an undergraduate researcher. She is now a Civil Engineer at Thomas & Hutton in Charleston, South Carolina.
ALUMNI
Megan Gallagher
Undergraduate Researcher, 2025
Megan's undergraduate research applied WaterTAP to water-treatment modeling in the Aziz Lab. She completed her undergraduate degree at NC State.
ALUMNI
Alvin Mutongi
Undergraduate Researcher, 2024
Alvin's undergraduate research applied life-cycle analysis to anaerobic co-digestion of waste streams. He is now a Civil Engineer (EIT) at Black & Veatch, working on water and wastewater treatment.
ALUMNI
Laura Pohl
Undergraduate Researcher, 2024
Laura contributed to water-quality monitoring of non-potable systems on NC State's Centennial Campus as an undergraduate researcher in the Aziz Lab. She is completing her civil engineering degree at NC State.
ALUMNI
Nylah Thurmond
Undergraduate Researcher, 2024
Nylah's undergraduate research focused on stormwater quality monitoring in the Aziz Lab. She now works for Mecklenburg County in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ALUMNI
Isabelle Hipp
Undergraduate Researcher, 2023
Isabelle's undergraduate research explored photocatalytic pavement and its impacts on water and air quality. She is now an Environmental Engineer (EIT) at Ramboll in Chicago.
ALUMNI
Jimmy Lewis
Undergraduate Researcher, 2023
Jimmy's undergraduate research investigated photocatalytic pavement and its impacts on water and air quality. He now works on water quality at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
ALUMNI
Quinn Lowe
Undergraduate Researcher, 2023
Quinn's undergraduate research explored photocatalytic pavement and its impacts on water and air quality. She is now a Civil Designer at Civil Design Concepts, PA in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Jackson Brown
Undergraduate Researcher, 2022
Jackson's undergraduate research explored the dissolved organic matter signature of white-rot fungi. He is now a Civil Designer II at McAdams in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Quinn Gebeaux
Undergraduate Researcher, 2022
Quinn's undergraduate research applied agent-based modeling to fungal bioremediation.
ALUMNI
Bethany Deveau
Undergraduate Researcher, 2021
Bethany's undergraduate research investigated fungal bioremediation for stormwater contaminants. She is now a Water Resources Designer (EIT) at VHB in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Julia Harrison
Undergraduate Researcher, 2021
Julia's undergraduate research helped develop partial denitrification + anammox processes for tertiary wastewater treatment. She has since completed her Ph.D. and is now an Environmental Engineer at Geosyntec Consultants in the Sacramento area.
ALUMNI
Alexis Rutledge
Undergraduate Researcher, 2020
Alexis's undergraduate research modeled photochemical degradation in wastewater constructed wetlands. She is now an Energy Development Associate at CEG Solutions LLC in Denver.
ALUMNI
Danielle Curri
Undergraduate Researcher, 2020
Danielle's undergraduate research focused on industrial symbiosis waste-exchange identification and optimization. She is now a Project Manager (PE, ENV SP) at WSP in Raleigh.
ALUMNI
Molly Burke
Undergraduate Researcher, 2020
Molly's undergraduate research focused on industrial symbiosis waste-exchange identification and optimization. She is now a Civil Analyst (PE) at Kimley-Horn in the Raleigh-Durham area.
ALUMNI
Nadia Sheppard
Undergraduate Researcher, 2019
Nadia's undergraduate research built laboratory constructed-wetland microcosms to study denitrification. She continues her training as a Graduate Student Researcher in NC State's Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering.
ALUMNI
Wesley Hayes
Undergraduate Researcher, 2019
Wesley's undergraduate research modeled mixing and harmful algal bloom formation. He is now pursuing his doctoral degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston.
ALUMNI
Alexandra Dinwiddie
Undergraduate Researcher, 2016
Alexandra's undergraduate research focused on indirect photodegradation in wastewater-treatment constructed wetlands. She is now the Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
ALUMNI
Elizabeth Wallner
Undergraduate Researcher, 2016
Elizabeth's undergraduate research field-monitored the effects of mixing on harmful algal blooms during her time in the Aziz Lab at NC State.