Current Members
Doctoral Students
Georgia Cardosa
B.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California (’22)
Georgia is a first year graduate student in the Sedlak Lab currently exploring the world of desalination specifically for use in rural communities in California’s Central Valley. Outside of the lab, Georgia can be found competing in ultimate frisbee tournaments all over the country.
cardosa@berkeley.edu
Anthony DeSalvo
B.S.E. Environmental Engineering, University of Iowa (’21)
Anthony is a first-year graduate student in the Sedlak Lab. His research focuses on the design and driving mechanisms of natural engineered systems for water treatment. Outside of the lab, Anthony enjoys exploring new places in California to hike and rock climb
anthony_desalvo@berkeley.edu
Scarlet-Marie Kilpatrick
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Yale University (’20)
Scarlet-Marie is the newest member of the Sedlak group, and is excited to begin research with the NAWI Energy-Water Desalination Hub this year. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time outdoors and is likely to be found rock-climbing, distance running, hiking, or camping.
scarlet_kilpatrick@berkeley.edu
Emily Kramer
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley (’18)
B.S. Chemistry, Harvard University (’15)
Emily is working to enhance systems used to desalinate brackish groundwater, a vastly underused but difficult-to-treat source. Through coordination with the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), she studies the economic, environmental, and societal costs of current desalination practices, with a particular interest in concentrate management strategies. This has led Emily’s research in the lab to focus on scale prevention and removal technologies involving antiscalants and salt separation and valorization. A few of her other passions include dismantling institutional inequality, her dog Bo, and mixology.
emilymkraemer@berkeley.edu
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley (’18)
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (’17)
Daniel’s research focuses on electrochemical processes for point-of-use water treatment, with a particular interest in zero-chemical-input designs. When not in lab, he enjoys playing tennis, trying his hand at various artistic media, and tinkering with musical instruments.
ocasio1@berkeley.edu
M.S. Environmental Engineering, Universidad de Los Andes (’15)
B.S. Environmental Engineering, Universidad de Los Andes (’12)
Juan’s research is focused on better understanding the mechanisms behind the degradation of organic pollutants over soil-water interphases in soils and aquifers treated by In-Situ Chemical Oxidation. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his family, and learn how to play the guitar.
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley (’22)
B.S. Civil Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (’21)
Jono is a second-year graduate student in the Sedlak Lab. His research focuses on the application of nature-based systems to improve water quality of local water resources and create circular water economies. Jono aims to understand how trace contaminants (i.e., trace metals) are transformed and immobilized in redox-active subsurface natural systems. Outside of research, Jono enjoys teaching subjects he’s passionate about, and if he isn’t on campus, you can likely find him drawing, climbing, or at a local coffee shop.
Griffin Walsh
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley (’20)
B.S. Environmental Engineering, Yale University (’19)
Griffin is interested in the use of natural systems to treat wastewater and reverse osmosis concentrate, especially regarding the mechanisms of removal of trace metals. In his free time, he likes to mess around with music production and composition, performing whenever he gets the chance.
griffin.walsh@berkeley.edu
Postdoctoral Students
Yanghua Duan
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley (’18)
B.S. Environmental Engineering, Tongji University (’17)
Yanghua’s research is focused on electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for stormwater treatment and recharge. Specifically, his research focuses on understanding the mechanism of hydrogen peroxide generation and optimizing the system design to efficiently remove trace organic contaminants. When not in lab, he enjoys playing a Chinese musical instrument, the guqin.
duanyanghua@berkeley.edu
Tae-Kyoung Kim
Ph.D. Environmental Health Sciences, Seoul National University (’20)
M.S. Environmental Health Sciences, Seoul National University (’16)
B.S. Environmental Engineering, Catholic University of Pusan (’14)
Tae-Kyoung is interested in the fate of legacy toxic organic contaminants during treatment by in-situ chemical oxidation. Specifically, he focuses on the transformation of halogenated compounds under various environmental conditions and evaluates the toxicity of their transformation byproducts. Outside of lab, Tae-Kyoung enjoys cycling the Bay Area and cooking.
tkkim13@berkeley.edu
Anushka Mishrra
Ph.D. in Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis (’23)
B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Trichy (’17)
Anushka is interested in advancing science for providing safe and sustainable drinking water. Currently, her research focuses on synthesizing advanced filter media for removing oxyanions during water treatment. Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, playing board games and travelling.
anushkamishrra@berkeley.edu
Ph.D. Water Technology, Catalan Institute for Water Research (’21)
M.S. Environmental Science and Technology, Gent University (’15)
B.S. Civil Engineering, Saratov State Technical University (’13)
Natalia’s main research interest is synthesis of novel materials for various environmental applications with particular interest in electrochemical water treatment and solar desalination. Outside of work, Natalia likes rowing, reading, and playing chess.
nsergienko@berkeley.edu