Nelson Research Group

University of California, Berkeley | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Current Members

Postdoctoral Researchers


Minxi Jiang

  • Bachelors of Science in Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, 2016
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2022

Minxi is currently a postdoctoral researcher specializing in next-generation sequencing technologies for metavirome analysis in wastewater. Before joining Nelson’s Lab, she focused on engineering designs and metagenomics-derived analysis of biological nutrient removal and recovery processes, such as anaerobic digestion and biological nitrogen removal. Initially inspired by comparing microbial communities in food waste fermentation and the human gut microbiome, Minxi’s research interests expanded to broader applications in human health and microorganism relationships. Beyond research, Minxi was a lead teaching fellow at Columbia University’s Center of Teaching and Learning. She also promoted her Ph.D. works of “decentralized urban biorefinery” through the entrepreneurship program at Dubai Design Week (2019). In her free time, she enjoys companionship with her cat, photography, dance classes, and playing the violin.


Utsav Shashvatt

  • Bachelor of Technology, Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology, 2012
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2021

Utsav Shashvatt is a postdoctoral FFAR-OCP fellow working on resource recovery from human urine to generate a suite of fertilizer products. Utsav is passionate about creating wealth from waste and his previous experience speaks to it. During his bachelor’s, he worked on turning agro-waste into a valuable fuel, thereby creating value for what was a nuisance for the farmers. He continued his passion to generate waste-derived resources during doctoral work on using Donnan Dialysis (a membrane-based process) for selectively recovering phosphorus from wastewater and waste solids. Currently, Utsav is leading three projects: (1) construction and operation of an automated bench-scale reactor to generate fertilizer from urine (2) synthesis of a bio-composite fertilizer, and (3) optimization of an ion-exchange -based method for nitrogen recovery from urine. Apart from research, Utsav enjoys cooking, Hindustani classical music, and meditation. 

Graduate Students


Li-Wen (Audrey) Wang

  • Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2019 
  • Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2021

Audrey is a 3rd year PhD student in Environmental Engineering, working on wastewater-based epidemiology. She is also a Designated Emphasis student in Computational and Genomic Biology, co-advised by Rasmus Nielsen. Her research focuses on benchmarking concentration and extraction methods for viruses in wastewater, as well as designing a bioinformatic tool for monitoring influenza reassortment events in wastewater. Before her PhD, she worked on projects exploring microbial communities in engineering applications like anaerobic digesters. Audrey is passionate about waste-to-energy solutions and sustainable technologies that can improve public health and the environment. She also worked as a Research Associate at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in the Division of Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, where she falls in love with the fascinating world of bacteria!  Outside of her research, she enjoys visiting coffee shops and embarking on spontaneous trips!


Soliver Ché Fusi

  • Associates of science in Engineering, Prince George’s Community College, 2015
  • Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 2018
  • Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2019

Soliver is driven by global environmentalism, particularly by understanding how knowledge about the environment is produced, shared, and influences our relationship with it. Her research focuses on the intersection of sanitation and agriculture, utilizing biochar to recover nutrients from human urine to improve agricultural soils. Through her Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering, and her fellowships with the D-Lab and Cal’s Digital Transformations of Development, Soliver is working to establish standards for characterizing and utilizing biochar. She is developing models for predicting biochar properties using infrared spectroscopy, in collaboration with the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Her overarching objective is to contribute to the technical understanding of sanitation and agricultural systems specifically applicable in countries like Kenya and Cameroon. Outside of her academic pursuits, Soliver explores her passion for board sports through surfing and skateboarding, while actively seeking opportunities to become an environmental educator. 


Allie Nguyen

  • Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, University of Minnesota, 2022
  • Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2023

Allie’s current research project is on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). The project goal is to use WBE to generate a holistic picture of disease prevalence in not only areas with access to clinical testing but also geographically remote regions, thus improving pandemic preparedness in a broad-scale application. Specifically, Allie is researching the different forms of 8 types of viruses and their persistence in raw wastewater. She is also very interested in environmental public health and how to utilize engineering to elevate the population’s safety and well-being. Allie is currently involved in 2 graduate student groups on campus, Graduate Women of Engineering (GWE) and Beyond Academia (BA). In her free time, she likes taking photos and crocheting.


Camille Brulé

  • Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering, 2022
  • Bachelors of Science in Paper Science Engineering, 2022

Camille is a first year PhD student in Environmental Engineering. Before joining the Nelson lab this year, she graduated from North Carolina State University with two degrees in Paper Science Engineering (yes, that’s a real major there) and Chemical Engineering. Camille is interested in research that focuses on closing the sanitation equity gap in developing contexts, specifically in regards to nutrient recovery from urine and feces. Her past research experience was in biomaterial characterization, specifically on evaluating how utilizing green alternatives to plasticizers impacted the final product on a molecular level. Camille also spent a summer living in Nairobi, Kenya, where she worked as a Research and Development intern for Sanergy. There she worked with black soldier flies that fed on human waste to produce organic fertilizer. Outside of research Camille likes listening to true crime podcasts, doing the NYT crossword, and calling her grandparents.  


Alma Bartholow

alma_bartholow@berkeley.edu

  • Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2020
  • Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2021

Alma is a 4th year PhD student in Environmental Engineering with a focus on microbial water quality and water reuse. Alma seeks out research where engineering, policy, and public health intersect. Her current research tackles the biological stability of advanced treated wastewater in distribution systems to study a transition to direct potable reuse and examines using biological filtration for seeding. Alma has also acquired an internship at Trussell Technologies to study analytical chlorine measurements and virus inactivation for recycled waters. In her time at Berkeley, Alma has been involved in projects studying tap water stagnation and SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Before her PhD she was involved in research to assess road salt runoff impact on urban green spaces and interned at the Chicago water reclamation district. In her free time, Alma likes cooking for her co-op, playing guitar, and playing yahtzee with friends. 

Undergraduate Students


Tomás Eleta

  • Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering and Global Studies Minor, University of California, Berkeley, 2024

Tomás Eleta is currently in his fourth year pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Global Studies. His profound enthusiasm for Chemical Engineering, coupled with a keen interest in practical applications, has led him to specialize in collaborating with Utsav Shashvatt on the development and management of an automated prototype reactor which converts urine into useful fertilizer. In his evolving role within the project, Tomás has transitioned to a focus on coding and automation. Eager to broaden his skill set post-graduation, he looks forward to delving deeper into the realms of Data and Computer Science. Outside the lab, Tomás dedicates his time to overseeing UC Berkeley’s event organizing wing, ‘SUPERB.’ Outside of his academic pursuits, he finds relaxation in the great outdoors, engaging in activities such as climbing and hiking.


Van N Trinh

Van is an undergraduate Bioengineering major with a concentration in synthetic and computational biology and a minor in Computer Science. Her current research focuses on detecting assay erosion of qPCR/dPCR assays for human pathogen detection. Before joining the Nelson Lab, Van interned in the Lareau Lab, studying the impact of synonymous codons in translation initiation on protein output. Throughout her time at UC Berkeley, Van has developed her interest in computational work and its applications in public health. She is a student of the Bioengineering Scholars Program (BioESP) and the STEM Excellence through Equity & Diversity (SEED) Scholars Honors Program. Outside of research and academics, Van enjoys attending music festivals, discovering new restaurants with friends, and watching historical Chinese dramas. 


Joaquin Jamieson

Joaquin Jamieson is a 4th year undergraduate student studying Environmental Engineering Science in the department of Engineering Science. Originally from Madera, California, Joaquin is interested in studying the impacts of reforestation efforts on desert expansion, along with monitoring viral spread through wastewater. After university, he plans to pursue a career in watershed management or water treatment. Outside of academics, Joaquin enjoys competing in swim meets with his club, cycling, playing guitar, and going to concerts.


Claire Liu

Claire is an undergraduate joint majoring in Bioengineering and Materials Science & Engineering. Currently, she is working on the bio-composite fertilizer synthesis project with Utsav Shashvatt. Claire has prior experience interning at PTS Diagnostics, a small medical device company, and plans to work with biomaterials in the future. She leads a board games group and is an active member of Board Games at Berkeley. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, drawing, rock climbing, gaming, reading, watching anime, and attending music shows.