PEDRO J. J. ALVAREZ, Ph.D., P.E., DEE

Dept. of Civil & Environmental Eng. ¨ Rice University ¨ Houston, TX 77251-1892

Tel: (713) 348-5903 ¨ FAX: (713) 348-5203 ¨ e-mail: alvarez@rice.edu

                                                                                                                                                           

 

GENERAL                Prof. Alvarez's research focuses on bioremediation of contaminated aquifers, fate and transport of hazardous substances, permeable reactive barriers, microbial-plant interactions, and environmental implications and applications of nanotechnology.

 

EDUCATION            B.Eng.     1982      Civil Engineering              McGill University, Montréal

                        Certif.       1988      Haz. Waste Mgmt.          U. of California, Riverside

                        M.S.E      1989      Environmental Engrg.       University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

                        Ph.D.       1992      Environmental Engrg.       University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

 

POSITIONS              2004-present          G.R. Brown Professor      Rice University, Houston, TX

                                    2001-2003             Professor                        The University of Iowa, Iowa City

                                    1999                     Visiting Professor            EAWAG, Switzerland

                                    1998-present          Associate Director           Center for Biocatalysis & Bioprocessing

                                    1997-2001             Associate Professor         The University of Iowa, Iowa City

                                    1993-1997             Assistant Professor         The University of Iowa, Iowa City

                        1985-1988             Environ. Engineer             Tetratech Inc., San Bernardino, CA

 

SELECTED              • Registered Professional Engineer, Michigan License # 35419, Iowa License # 12575, Texas License # 95255; Registered Groundwater Professional, Iowa # 1681

ACTIVITIES              • Member, CLEANER Committee, National Research Council (NRC)

                                    • Member, Publications Committee, American Academy of Environ. Engineers (AAEE)

                                    • Board member, Hazard Assessment and Control of Toxic Substances in Water, International Water Association (IWA), 7/00-present.

                                    • Scientific committee member, Leading Edge Technologies, International Water Association (IWA), 7/03-present.

                                    • Panel member, NCEES Environmental Engrg. minimum competency requirements, 11/04.

                                    • International Expert Committee for the Mexican Institute of Petroleum for the evaluation of projects of the Biotechnology Program on Petroleum, 2/00-present.

• AWWARF Project Advisory Committee, 1998

                                            • Technical Advisor, National Program to Support Small Businesses, Nicaragua, 1998

                                            • Expert Advisor, Brownfields Technical Advisory Committee, State of Iowa, 1997

                                    • Technical Review Panel Member, National Center for Integrated Bioremediation

                           Research and Development at Wurtsmith AFB, MI, 1996

                                            • NSF and EPA Peer Review Panel Member, 1995-pesent

                                            • Expert Advisor, Underground Storage Tank Interim Study Committee of the

                           General Assembly of Iowa, 1993, 1995.

                                    • Advisor, State of Iowa Department of Justice, Des Moines, IA, 1995-present

                           (Expert witness is several LUST spill cost recovery claims)

                        • Consultant, Green Environmental Services Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA, 1993

                           (Solved problem associated with acid drainage from a coal pile)

                        • Consultant, City of Battle Creek, MI, 1992

                           (Removed hexavalent chromium from a wastewater treatment plant)

                        • Consultant, ATEC Environmental Consultants Inc., Novi, MI, 1992

                           (Characterized the microbial community of a fuel-contaminated aquifer)

                        • Consultant, Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roseau, 1991

                           (Assisted in formulation of environmental policies for economic growth)

                        • Consultant, The City of Ann Arbor, MI, 1991

                           (Designed and implemented a landfill groundwater monitoring plan)

                          


HONORS AND AWARDS             

 

            2005     Honorary Professor, Nankai University, Tianjin, China

            2005-2006         President, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors

            2005     Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

            2003     Board of Directors, Nicaragua’s Water and Wastewater Management Agency (ENACAL)

            2005     Associate Editor, ASCE J. Environ. Engrg.

            2003     Consul of Nicaragua for Iowa (ad honorem)

            2003     Field Editor, European Journal of Soil Biology, Editorial Board, Biodegradation

            2003     Best Poster Award, EPA International Applied Phytotechnologies Conference. Chicago, IL

            2002     Research project of the year award, SERDP cleanup division, Department of Defense.

            2002-2006         Board of Directors, Assoc. Env. Engrg. and Science Professors (AEESP)

            2002     Editorial Board Member of Bioremediation and Bioavailability, The Scientific World

2000          Awarded the Button of the City of Valencia, Venezuela, by the Mayor of the City

2000          Best Student Paper Award, Battelle 6th Bioremediation Symposium, San Diego, CA

            1998     The UI Collegiate Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Iowa

            1998-2002         Editorial Board, Journal of Environmental Science and Health

            1997     Participant, National Academy of Engineering’s Symposium: Frontiers of Engrg.

            1997     Best Student Paper Award, WEF 70th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL

            1997     Listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering

            1997     Appointed Adjunct Professor, Universidad Autónoma de México, Mexico, D.F.

            1996     Honored Member, Strathmore’s Who’s Who Register of Business Leaders

            1996     Listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and Who’s Who in Environ. Engrg.

            1996     Editorial Advisory Board, Advances in Environmental Research

            1996     Awarded the Alejo Zuloaga Medal by the Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela

            1995     Inducted into the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, Diplomate Status

            1995     Career Award, National Science Foundation.

            1995     Best Paper Award, EPA Hazardous Substance Research Center for Regions 7 and 8

            1995     Appointed Adjunct Professor, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brasil

            1995     Old Gold Summer Fellowship, University of Iowa  

            1994, 2002        Elected to The University of Iowa Faculty Senate

            1994     Old Gold Summer Fellowship, University of Iowa  

            1992     Outstanding Presentation Award, AIChE Summer Meeting, Minneapolis, MN

            1992     The Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

            1991     The Outstanding Achievement Award in Environmental Engineering, U. of Michigan

 

AFFILIATIONS        

            AAEE, ACS, AEESP, ASCE, ASM, IWA, WEF, SEPM, SHPE, Tau Beta Pi, and Chi Epsilon.

 

COURSES TAUGHT         

Biological Treatment Processes

Design and Management of Civil Engineering Projects

Engineering I

Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology

Environmental Engineering-Natural Systems

Experiments in Environmental Engineering

Foundations Of Bioremediation

International Perspectives in Water Resources Planning

Principles of Environmental Engineering

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A.                 Textbooks, Conference and Other Books

1.       Alvarez P.J.J. and W. Illman (2005). Bioremediation and Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: Process Fundamentals and Mathematical Models.  John Wiley & Sons. ISBN No. 0-471-65043-9. 608 pages.

2.       Alvarez P.J.J and E. Guevara (2003). Biorremediación y Atenuación Natural de Acuíferos Contaminados por Sustancias Químicas Peligrosas. Consejo del Desarrollo Científico y Humanístico, Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela. ISBN No.980-233-360-3.

3.       Kalogerakis N., E. Psillakis and P.J.J. Alvarez (editors) (2005). Recent Advances in Bioremediation: a special issue.  Environment International. 31 (2) 147-312.

4.       Leeson, A., B.C. Alleman, P.J. Alvarez, and V.S. Magar (editors) (2001). Bioaugmentation, Biobarriers, and Biogeochemistry.  Proceedings of the Sixth International In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, Vol 6(9). Battelle Press, Columbus, OH, 2001.

5.       Loucks D.P., P.J. Alvarez, M.J. Baedecker, J.W. Boyd, R.A. Conway, J.W. Day, C.T Driscoll, T.R. Fountain, E.H.. Herricks, R.J.. Huggett, T.K. Kratz, J.M. Lauria, J.L. Meyer, T.O. Najarian, C.R. O’melia, S.D. Parker, and D.K. Weir (2006). CLEANER and NSF’s Environmental Observatories.  National Research Council of the Academies. National Academy Press. ISBN No.0-309-10229-4.

 

B.                Peer Reviewed Publications (*denotes corresponding author)

1.       Wiesner* M. R., G. V. Lowry, P.J.J. Alvarez, D. Dionysiou, and P. Biswas (2006). Assessing the risks of manufactured nanomaterials. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40 (14):4337-4445.

2.       Da Silva M.L.B., R.L.. Johnson, and P.J.J. Alvarez* (2006). Microbial characterization of a subsurface undergoing treatment with a permeable reactive iron barrier. J. Environ. Engrg. (Submitted).

3.       Da Silva M.L.B., R.C. Daprato, D.E. Gomez, J.B. Hughes, C.H. Ward*, and P.J.J. Alvarez (2006). Comparison of Bioaugmentation and Biostimulation for the Enhancement of DNAPL Source Zone Bioremediation. Water Environment Research. (In press).

4.       O. Nut M., K. N. Heck, P.J.J. Alvarez, and M. S. Wong* (2006). Improved Pd-on-Au Bimetallic Nanoparticle Catalysts for Aqueous-phase Trichloroethene Hydrodechlorination. Appl. Catal. B: Environ. (In press).

5.       Lyon, D.Y., A. Thill, J. Rose, and P J.J. Alvarez* (2006). Ecotoxicological Impacts of Nanomaterials. In: Wiesner M. and Bottero J-Y (eds.). Environmental Nanotechnology. McGraw Hill. (In press).

6.       Lyon* D. Y., L. K. Adams, J. C. Falkner, and P.J.J. Alvarez (2006). Antibacterial Activity of Fullerene Water Suspensions: Effect of Preparation Method and Particle Size. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40 (14):4360-4366.

7.       Da Silva M.L.B. and P.J.J. Alvarez* (2006). Quantification of Anaerobic Benzene Degraders Using Real-Time PCR. Environ. Microbiol. (In press).

8.       Xiaoshan Z