Mark R. Wiesner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Robert Wiesner |
| Education | Coe College (BA) University of Iowa (MS) Johns Hopkins University (PhD) École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques (Post-doctoral studies) |
| Known for | Environmental nanotechnology, membrane science, water treatment technologies |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Environmental engineering |
Mark R. Wiesner is an French-American environmental engineer, researcher and academic. He is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, visiting professor at the University of Rennes and director of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT). His research focuses on environmental nanotechnology, membrane science, and water treatment technologies. [1]
Wiesner earned his B.A. in mathematics and biology from Coe College in 1978, an M.S. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Iowa in 1980, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1985. [2] [3] He did post-doctoral work in Chemical Engineering at École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques in Nancy, France.[ citation needed ]
In 1985, Wiesner joined the Lyonnaise des Eaux (now part of Suez) as a research engineer, where he remained until 1987. He later briefly worked as principal engineer at Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. [4] [5]
Wiesner joined the faculty at Rice University in 1988, where he served as a professor in Rice University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment, and associate dean of engineering. [6] [7] [8] [9] In 2006, Wiesner joined Duke University as a professor of civil and environmental engineering. [10] [11] [12] He was named James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2015. Wiesner served as the department's chair from 2015 to 2021. He is the director of Duke University's Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT). [13] [14] [15]
He received the Clarke Prize from the National Water Research Institute in 2011. [16] [17] He was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2015. [18] In 2024, Wiesner received the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award. [18] [19]
Wiesner's research has focused on environmental nanotechnology, membrane-based water treatment, colloidal and interfacial processes, and environmental systems. [20] [21] [22] He was among the early researchers to study low-pressure membranes for drinking water treatment and contributed to the development of pretreatment methods to reduce membrane fouling. [23] [24] [25] Beginning in the late 1990s, he investigated the use of nanomaterials for membrane fabrication as well as the behavior and environmental impacts of engineered nanomaterials, and helped establish the subdiscipline of environmental nanotechnology. He worked with Rick Smalley and other faculty at Rice University to develop applications of nanochemistry in biological engineering and environmental engineering. [26] [27] Wiesner has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles and co-edited the books Water Treatment Membrane Processes (1996) and Environmental Nanotechnology (2007). [28] [29] He has also edited academic journals including Nanotoxicology,Desalination and Environmental Engineering Science. [30] [2]