Team

Lisa Stabryla, PhD

Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC)

Training

Postdoctoral Fellow, National Research Council (NRC) – NIST (2021-2023)

Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (2021)

M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (2017)

B.S. Engineering Science, University of Pittsburgh (2015)

Email: stabryla@uic.edu

Links: Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Twitter

Lisa Stabryla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at UIC. Her research informs the sustainable design of next-generation, nano-enabled antimicrobial materials, and more generally, advances the application potential of engineered nanomaterials and other emerging materials and technologies proposed for use in areas at the nexus of the environment and public health. She is an expert in nanoparticle synthesis and characterization and has extensive experience evaluating their antimicrobial efficacy and establishing relationships between physicochemical nanoparticle properties and their underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial activity. Her work has been published in Nature Nanotechnology, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, and Environmental Science: Nano. Prior to joining UIC, she was a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) where she used next-generation sequencing technologies and culture-based approaches to explore development of novel, physiologically-based, rapid detection methods for drug-resistant pathogens and assisted in developing plasmid DNA-based AMR standards for wastewater surveillance. There, she also engaged with stakeholders from industry, federal, state, local, national labs, and other government agencies through multiple consortia and working groups to discuss standards related to AMR and wastewater monitoring as well as microbiome multi-omics measurements. She obtained her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021, where her work was funded by a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

Houman Niknam, MS

Materials Engineering, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: hnikn@uic.edu

Houman comes to UIC with a Master’s degree in Material Science and Engineering from Kashan University, Kashan, Iran. His expertise and interests are in the field of nanomaterials, nanomedicines, catalysts, and energy storage. Furthermore, he is passionate about working on new ideas and learning new skills to combine them with his prior knowledge. Prior to coming to UIC and joining the Stabryla Lab, Houman worked as a metallurgy engineer in Kian Sanaat Foolad Parsian Company for two years and was the operator of the Materials Science Laboratory at the University of Kashan, working with equipment such as FESEM and XRD.

Kongyang (Eggie) Zhu, MS

Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: kzhu27@uic.edu

Eggie earned his Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Miami in May 2025.

Avery Martin

Biochemistry major, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: amart531@uic.edu

Avery is a sophomore originally from Southern Illinois. Her primary research interests include antimicrobial resistance and its relevance to medicine. After graduating from UIC, she plans on attending med school and becoming a physician scientist. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking and playing video games.

LinkedIn

Kate Kazmer, PhD

Associate Civil Engineer in Stormwater Management, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

Former: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: kkazmer@uic.edu

Kate is now an Associate Civil Engineer working in the Green Infrastructure Division on stormwater management at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago. She earned her PhD and Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan in August 2024. Her dissertation work focused on research at the intersection of Environmental Engineering and Public Health and worked to advance wastewater-based epidemiology, a useful tool to track viral nucleic acids in wastewater. Kate also earned a Certificate in Hospital Infection and Prevention (CHIP) through the UM School of Public Health during her PhD. Kate earned her Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Marquette University in 2019 and worked as an undergraduate researcher studying the effect of corrosion inhibitors on antibiotic resistance in drinking water. Kate is passionate about interdisciplinary research, mentoring students, and science communication. Outside of research, Kate enjoys running, cheering on the Chicago Cubs, and playing with her dog, Stu.

Links: Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Website

Steven Frausto

Environmental Engineering major, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: sfrau3@uic.edu

Short Bio: ((coming soon))

Josh Auld Alvarez

Integrative Biology major, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign

Email: joshuaa7@illinois.edu

Short Bio: ((coming soon))

Janet Lozoya

Environmental Engineering major, University of Illinois-Chicago (anticipated graduation: Fall 2025)

Email: jlozoya2@uic.edu

Janet is a fourth year Environmental Engineering undergraduate student at UIC, with an expected graduation in December 2025. Her interests in environmental engineering are water resources and ecology restoration. After graduation, Janet aspires to work on projects that promote environmental impact, whether that be stormwater management projects to prevent harmful waste from contaminating ecosystems or habitat restoration initiatives to revitalize and protect endangered environments. Outside of her studies, Janet enjoys binge- watching new shows, crocheting, going on nature walks, and exploring hidden gems around the city.

Diego Paniagua

Environmental Engineering major, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: dpania3@uic.edu

Diego is a sophomore Environmental Engineering major at UIC and has research interests in wastewater and drinking water treatment and addressing microplastic/heavy metal contamination in bodies of water. He is currently performing research on nanomaterial/antibiotic resistance in bacteria and PFA removal from potable water.

Jood Nakira

Environmental Engineering major, University of Illinois-Chicago (anticipated graduation: Spring 2027)

Email: jnaki@uic.edu

Jood is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois Chicago majoring in Environmental Engineering. She is currently an upcoming junior and plans to graduate in May 2027. Her academic interests include water quality, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure improvement. Jood is passionate about applying what she learns in the classroom to real world challenges and plans to begin a full-time job in the environmental engineering industry after graduation. She is especially interested in working with companies focused on water treatment, environmental consulting, or urban infrastructure. Outside of her studies, Jood enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and going to the gym.

Juan Corona

Environmental Engineering major, University of Illinois-Chicago

Email: jcoro31@uic.edu