Team

Current Students*

Graduate Students:

DelgadoHeadshotLuis Delgado Jr.
Luis Delgado is a PhD student in the Water Resources Engineering Program at Penn State. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso in December 2016 with the Highest Honors (first in his family to receive a four-year college degree in the U.S). Following his undergraduate studies, Luis spent about a year and a half working on various construction projects as a civil engineer, and also co-founding a manufacturing and design startup. His primary research interests are urban sustainability, critical infrastructure planning, energy/water resources, and policy analysis. In his free time, Luis enjoys reading, traveling, playing soccer and doing community service.


LDennisLauren Dennis
Lauren is a PhD student in the Water Resources Engineering Program at Penn State. She received her MS in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science from Penn State in 2019 where she studied methane emissions from potential gas migration from shale gas wells. Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, she received a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. Throughout her education, Lauren has had an interest in the relationship between people and the environment. Her broad research interests include natural resource management, decision-making, and the food-energy-water nexus. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, biking, snowboarding, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

SelenaHeadshotSelena Hinojos
Selena is a PhD student in the Water Resources Engineering Program at Penn State. She received her BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2020. Prior to joining FEW’s lab, Selena engaged in undergraduate research on topics including: analyzing biochar and conventional solid waste treatment, studying the ambient air quality from a waste facility in relation to a local rural community, evaluating the use of water treatment residuals for preventing the export of phosphorus in a rain garden and monitored a natural permeable pavement, designing an on-site building-scale full blackwater reuse system. Her research interests span the areas of climate change, sustainable landscape and urbanism, green infrastructure, and the food-energy-water nexus. In her free time she enjoys hiking with her dog and playing volleyball.

PanizPaniz Mohamadpour
Paniz is a PhD student in the Water Resources Engineering Program at Penn State. She received her MS in Civil Engineering (Water Resources Engineering and Management) from University of Tehran and BS in Civil Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. Her MS thesis focused on measuring the sustainability between water supply and demand by developing a Hybrid Sustainability Index for a river basin in Iran. During her MS studies, she was also engaged in a research project to create a comprehensive plan for reducing the water pollution in Iran. Her research interests are in the areas of regional sustainability of water supply and demand, sustainable development, and water quality management. She enjoys playing basketball, traveling and watching movies.

Sarah Torhan Headshot

Sarah Torhan
Sarah is a PhD student in the Water Resources Engineering Program at Penn State. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Engineering Leadership Development from Penn State in 2014. Before starting her PhD, Sarah spent the past 3 years in Paraguay working with the World Wildlife Foundation and serving as an environmental conservation volunteer in the Peace Corps. Her interests included sustainable agriculture, reforestation, agroforestry, and environmental education. She also has >3 years of experience working in industry and mentoring university students through the Engineering Projects in Community Service and Engineers Without Borders programs. She plans to continue to apply her passions of social and environmental ethics, conservation, and teaching while working toward her research in the Food-Energy-Water lab.

 

 Undergraduate Students:

Tori

Victoria  (Tori) Lenze
Victoria is a senior in the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State studying Mechanical Engineering with a Spanish minor. Her undergraduate honors thesis is focused on designing urban equality reference maps to inform future engineering design implementations in U.S. cities by simultaneously considering demographic, engineering, and zoning data. During the summer of 2021, Victoria spent seven weeks in Malang, Indonesia working with a sustainable development company as an engineering intern working to mitigate negative environmental effects from the fruit dehydration process. Her research interests include green infrastructure, sustainable development, and equitable design solutions. In her free time, Victoria enjoys reading, playing sports, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

 

About Dr. Grady, Principle Investigator

Dr. Grady is an Assistant Professor The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a dual appointment in the College of Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and in the College of Liberal Arts Rock Ethics Institute. In 2018, Dr. Grady was named the inaugural Faculty Fellow for the Center for Security Research and Education. Dr. Grady also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of International Affairs.

Prior to joining PSU, Dr. Grady worked in various environmental policy roles for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of State. In these roles, she worked on a myriad of issues including water & energy, agriculture, air quality,  budget & appropriations, international development, and diplomatic engagement. Most recently, Dr. Grady spent two years on the U.S. State Department negotiating team for the Montreal Protocol Treaty and it’s recently adopted Kigali Amendment.

Education: Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Purdue University; Masters in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, Bachelors in Science and Technology Studies (Humanities, Science, and the Environment Major, Environmental Policy and Planning Minor), Virginia Tech.

Student Awards

  • Autumn Deitrick – National Science Foundation Research Fellow (awarded in 2021)
  • Autumn Deitrick – 2020 Barry Goldwater Scholar
  • Autumn Deitrick – 2021 Channa C. and Ushrani Reddy Mission Award
  • Selena Hinojos – Penn State University Benton-Waller Fellowship 2020-2021
  • Luis Delgado – National GEM Consortium GEM Fellow
  • Luis Delgado – Penn State University Bunton-Waller Fellowship 2020-2021
  • Abby Cowser – American Society of Civil Engineers 2020 New Faces of Civil Engineering, 2020
  • Abby Cowser – Penn State John W. Oswald Award , 2020
  • Lauren Dennis – Penn State University Graduate Fellowship, 2019-2020
  • Lauren Dennis – NSF National Research Traineeship Fellowship, 2020-2021
  • Paniz Mohammadpour – CUAHSI Travel Scholarship to attend a workshop, Spring 2019
  • Jack Iffert – Ralph Dorn Hetzel Memorial Award, Spring 2019
  • Jack Iffert – Engineering Technology and Ethics Fellowship, Fall 2018
  • Tasnuva Mahjabin – Penn State College of Engineering Travel Grant to attend the AGU fall conference
  • Tasnuva Mahjabin – Acceptance and travel award to attend the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center Graduate Student Workshop on Socio-Environmental Synthesis, Fall 2018
  • Andrew Pannone – College of Engineering Research Initiative (CERI) Scholarship, Spring 2018
  • Andrew Pannone – College of Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Fellowship, Summer 2018

Previous Students

2017-2018 Jose Fernandez; Masters of Engineering, Graduated Spring 2018 | Penn State Civil Engineering, Water Resources | Currently a Project Engineer in Ecuador

2017-2018 Andrew Pannone; Undergraduate Student, Sophomore | Penn State  Engineering | Currently a PhD Student at Penn State in Dr. Saptarshi Das Lab

2018-2019 Jack Iffert; B.S. Civil Engineering, Senior, Graduated Spring 2019 | Currently a Transportation Planning and Traffic Operations Analyst at Kimley Horn

2018-2019 Jared Lawrence; Masters of International Affairs, Graduated Spring 2019 | PSU School of International Affairs|

2019 Summer Maya Zambrano-Lee; Visiting undergraduate student from the University of Maryland | Project Drawdown REU| Currently a Sustainability Intern with the City of Brunswick

2019-2020 Abby Cowser; B.S. Civil Engineering, Senior, Graduated Spring 2020| Currently a Staff Engineer at WDP & Associates Consulting Engineering Inc.

2017-2020 Tasnuva Mahjabin; Ph.D. Civil Engineering Water Resources, Graduated Spring 2020| Currently a Water Resources Engineer II at Atkins

2019-2021 Autumn Deitrick; B.S. Civil Engineering, Senior, Graduated Spring 2021| Currently a PhD Student at MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint PhD Program

 

*Current and prospective undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to contact Dr. Grady to inquire about available positions. You can also find out the latest news about our lab’s hiring plans by following us on Twitter. To work with Dr. Grady for your graduate degree program, please submit your application to the Civil Engineering – Water Resources program at Penn State.