PEOPLE: Research Staff
Dr. Dean Heil, AQWATEC Laboratory Manager. Ph.D. University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Heil manages the analytical laboratories of AQWATEC and supports faculty, research staff and students in conducting center related research. Dr. Heil's research interests are hybrid technologies for desalination and method development for various water constituents.
Dr. Julia Regnery, Postdoctoral Research Associate. Dr. phil. nat., Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Regnery’s research interest focuses on the fate and transport of trace organic contaminants such as flame retardants, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals during managed aquifer recharge. This research is directed to enhance the removal of trace organic contaminants in the subsurface through manipulation and engineering of natural water treatment systems. Dr. Regnery’s research is part of the NSF ERC.
Dr. Ana Lucia Prieto, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. Dr. Prieto has extensive experience in resource recovery from wastewater and alternative energy generation, specifically related to anaerobic fermentation and other biological processes such as algal biofuel production and digestion. As an environmental engineer, she has also participated in numerous projects involving state of the art technologies for wastewater treatment using membranes. She also specialized in the construction, operation and process optimization of bench and pilot scale anaerobic/algal biological reactors and membrane systems. Dr. Prieto responsibilities involve the SBR/MBR full-scale system at Mines Park, as a part of the NSF - ReNEWit ERC initiative.