CHEE Class Notes - Spring 2023
Jennifer Wilcox
Class of 2004, PhD in Chemical Engineering
Jennifer serves as principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management in the U.S. Department of Energy. Check out her recent interview for the podcast This Is CDR about carbon dioxide removal and its role in the future of America's climate.
Leah Kaplan
Class of 2018, BS in Chemical Engineering
lkaplan25@gmail.com
I was recently selected as one of 14 fellows for the FASPE Design & Technology Program. FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) is an intensive, two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership in Germany and Poland. I'll work with other graduate students and early-career professionals to grapple with our roles and responsibilities as designers of built environments/technology and to identify and confront the ethical issues facing architects, engineers, designers and other technologists today. I am beyond excited to start the program!
Julie Frieb
Class of 2019, BS in Chemical Engineering
frieb.julie@gmail.com
I live in Bujumbura, Burundi with my husband, Jordan, and we both work for the U.S. Department of State. After graduating, I worked for ExxonMobil at the Baytown Refinery near Houston. My first role with ExxonMobil was working on local projects where I gained experience in safety and hazards and operability studies. My second role was as a process contact engineer where I worked directly with operating units on their day-to-day challenges but also on long-term optimizations.
After receiving an offer to move to Burundi, I joined my husband for eight months of French language training at the Foreign Service Institute in the Washington, D.C. area. I am now the public diplomacy associate and will soon transfer to my role as the economic affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy Bujumbura. Living and working in Africa has been quite the adventure, and we are excited for wherever in the world the State Department wants to send us next!
Matthew Potzler
Class of 2019, PhD in Chemical Engineering
mpotzler@gmail.com
I was the city of Phoenix's climate lead and primary author of the science- and equity-based Climate Action Plan 2021 Edition, which was approved by the city council in October 2021, fulfilling the city's commitment as a C40 City.
The plan was developed collaboratively across 29 city departments with community input from more than 500 workshop participants, 3,500 survey responses and 890,000 social media impressions. I developed and facilitated interactive bilingual community engagement activities and ensured that the plan and associated documents were made available in English and Spanish in an easy-to-read format, thanks in part to the experience gained from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Stem Fellows in K-12 Education program.
In October 2022, I was a part of Mayor Kate Gallego's delegation to the C40 Cities World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a result of the approval of the plan, Phoenix is now recognized as an A-list city by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an international environmental impact disclosure system. The plan and additional information can be viewed on https://www.phoenix.gov/climate.
Camila Leite Madeira
Class of 2020, PhD in Environmental Engineering
cmadeira@arizona.edu
I am a postdoctoral fellow at the State University of Campinas in Brazil, where I’m investigating the occurrence of microplastics in surface water in the state of São Paulo, and their interaction with other contaminants of concern. In the fall of 2023, I will join the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso as a tenure-track assistant professor, where I plan to establish a research group focused on the development of sustainable and cost-effective solutions for wastewater treatment and bioremediation. I’m also extremely interested in promoting inclusive education for underrepresented students in STEM programs.
Xi-Zhi Niu
Class of 2021, PhD in Environmental Engineering
I was a postdoctoral research associate in the Field-Sierra group from 2018-2021 and started my new position as assistant professor of environmental engineering at the University of Cincinnati in December 2022. My group employs environmental organic chemistry and analytical chemistry approaches to identify and solve environmental and public health problems caused by organic pollutants.
Jonathan Romero
Class of 2021, BS in Chemical Engineering
Class of 2022, MS in Chemical Engineering
jonathanmromero@arizona.edu
I will begin working as a health, safety and environment engineer at BHP, a mining company that works with mine repurposing and reclamation in Tucson, in June. I am extremely humbled and excited for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to seeing my career take off! In between job hunting, I've been taking care of my niece and nephew while also spending some time with my family and my girlfriend.