Current Members
Graduate Students
Allie Nguyen
- Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, University of Minnesota, 2022
- Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2023
Allie is a Doctoral candidate in Environmental Engineering. Her research lies at the intersection of environmental water microbiology and public health. Allie is currently involved in multiple projects. One project focuses on wastewater-based epidemiology, specifically investigating the persistence of viral nucleic acid signals in wastewater and how surfactants may affect their stability. Another project explores how sub-sewershed-level sampling can enhance efforts to improve health equity in wastewater-based surveillance. In an upcoming project, she will study the impact of blending purified direct potable reuse water with conventional drinking water directly within distribution systems, with a focus on implications for drinking water quality and safety. In her free time, she likes dancing, film photography, and going to concerts.
Camille Brulé
- Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering, 2022
- Bachelors of Science in Paper Science Engineering, 2022
- Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2023
Driven by the fact that half the global population lacks access to safe sanitation, Camille is helping to engineer a circular economy for human waste. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, she leverages a background in Chemical and Paper Science Engineering to bridge the gap between waste management and agricultural sustainability. Her current research at the Nelson Lab focuses on nutrient recovery from human urine through innovative ion exchange processes. She has designed, built and is testing a continuous four-column reactor with the goal of transforming urine into fertilizer. By converting waste into sustainable fertilizers, her work seeks to mitigate the pollution of water bodies while providing an alternative to carbon-intensive industrial fertilizer production.
Beyond her technical research, Camille enjoys gardening and crocheting, and she plays an active role in fostering community as Ph.D. Chair of the Environmental Engineering Advocacy Team.
Yaw Yeboah
- Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2025
Yaw is a first-year PhD student in Environmental Engineering. He joins the Nelson Lab from Purdue University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering along with minors in French and Global Engineering Studies. His undergraduate research ranged from investigating the bioreceptivity of cementitious composites to developing a low-cost culvert blockage detection system during a semester abroad at the University of Canterbury. His international work included collaborations with underserved communities in Brazil, New Zealand, and the Dominican Republic on projects increasing access to safe water and infrastructure. These experiences, along with his upbringing in Ghana, inspired his current research interest in designing context-sensitive water and sanitation interventions that reduce the burden of disease in low-income countries. Through his Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering and with the support of the NSF Digital Transformation of Development Fellowship here at Berkeley, Yaw hopes to realize that goal. In his free time, he enjoys running, strength training, volleyball, listening to new music, and now, exploring the Bay Area.
Gregor Posadas
- Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering, Boise State University, 2023
- Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Boise State University, 2025
Gregor is a first-year PhD student in Environmental Engineering with a Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering. He joins the Nelson Lab from Boise State University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering and studied the performance of retrofit oxygenation technologies in wastewater treatment and the behavior of emerging contaminants across wastewater unit processes. As an Engineer-in-Training, he has consulted on wastewater treatment and data analysis. From 2025 to 2026 he was a research fellow at the Water Finance Exchange (WFX), a non-profit technical assistance organization, where he studied barriers to technology adoption among small and rural water systems in the United States. Born in the Philippines, Gregor is broadly interested in water governance and how the way water systems are organized and managed shows up in their infrastructure and in the service households receive. He hopes to eventually return to the Philippines to contribute to water infrastructure development and sector reform. He is also actively helping develop BahaWatch, a community flood-sensing project in the Philippines. Outside of research, Gregor enjoys cooking, photography, and playing video games.
Master’s Students
Carson Bay
- Bachelor of Science in Biology, United States Air Force Academy, 2025
Undergraduate Students
Sophia Safa
- Bachelors of Science in Bioengineering and Global Public Health and Chemical Engineering Minors, University of California, Berkeley, 2027