people
principal investigator
Allyson L. McGaughey
Assistant Professor
Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
University of New Mexico
email: allysonmcgaughey@unm.edu
office: CENT 3042
Dr. McGaughey is an Assistant Professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Mexico. She joined UNM as an Assistant Professor in January 2024. Her research interests include advanced separation processes and materials for applications in water treatment, resource recovery, and environmental remediation. Prior to joining UNM, Dr. McGaughey was a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Southern California. Outside of work, Dr. McGaughey enjoys hiking, camping, diving, and spending time with her cat, dog, and husband (listed in no particular order)
graduate researchers
Sagun Parajuli
MS Student
Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
University of New Mexico
Sagun Parajuli is a Nepali master's student in civil engineering at the University of New Mexico. She earned her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Vellore Institute of Technology in India. During her undergraduate studies, she researched microbial fuel cells and got fascinated with water and wastewater treatment technologies. She will be investigating membrane distillation processes for decentralized water treatment and industrial water reuse during her masters. In her free time, she likes to paint, cook, go on walks, and spend time with family and friends.
undergraduate researchers
Stephen Emeanuwa
4th-year Undergraduate,
accelerated MS Program
Major: Chemical Engineering
University of New Mexico
Rebecca Nez
2nd-year Undergraduate
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: Honors Program
University of New Mexico
Kenya Hernandez
3rd-year Undergraduate
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: Chemistry
University of New Mexico
Miguel Copado
4th-year Undergraduate
Major: Chemical Engineering
Academic Interests: Environmental Engineering
Universidad de Guadalajara
Stephen Emeanuwa is an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico, currently pursuing both a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering through the accelerated Master's program. He looks forward to tackling and understanding the physical and chemical modeling behind desalination techniques within the project. In his free time, Stephen enjoys pick-up games of Ultimate and jogging under starry nights.
Rebecca is an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico. She is passionate about developing solutions for undrinkable water in rural communities, with a strong focus on clean energy practices. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys playing video games, listening to music, working on her art, and exploring the outdoors.
Kenya is an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico, majoring in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. Growing up in an oil and gas hub, Kenya found a passion towards finding ways to implement clean waters to communities affected by the oil industry, as well as finding ways to filter wastewater into safe reusable standards. In her free time Kenya enjoys playing video games, drawing, painting, and reading books.
Miguel is an international student from Guadalajara, Mexico. He is eager to contribute to science and engineering projects that positively contribute to environmental challenges such as ensuring clean water for everyone to enhance the quality of life people deserve. In his free time, Miguel likes hiking, backpacking, and playing basketball.
We are always open to hear from motivated undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral scholars. If you are interested, please reach out directly to Dr. McGaughey via email (allysonmcgaughey@unm.edu) with a CV and a statement of your research experience and interests. Researchers from all backgrounds, including but not limited to environmental engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, and physics are welcome to apply.