Appala Raju Badireddy

Dr. Appala Raju Badireddy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont (UVM), and Director of the Water Treatment & Environmental Nanotechnology (WTEN) Laboratory. He is also co-founder and CTO of Secure Surgical Solutions LLC, and a founding member of Vermont Initiative for Biological and Environmental Surveillance (VIBES). His research focuses on sustainable membrane processes, environmental nanotechnology, nanometrology, and water security.

Education:

• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Houston (2003-2009)
• M.Tech., Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (2001-2003)
• B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (1997-2001)
• Postdoctoral Research, Duke University (2009-2014) under Prof. Mark Wiesner

Research Interests:

• Sustainable Membrane Processes: Water/wastewater treatment, desalination, anti-fouling strategies, and resource recovery.
• Environmental Nanotechnology: Nano-enabled sensors, remediation, and implications of nanomaterials in ecosystems.
• Environmental Chemodynamics: PFAS fate/transport, nutrient cycling, and contaminant toxicity.
• Water Security: Real-time monitoring systems and soil health assessments.

His work integrates lab-scale innovations with field applications, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.

Recent Research Trends: Recent publications highlight advancements in PFAS remediation, electric-field enhanced filtration, and living lab approaches to precision agriculture. He explores nanomaterials for water treatment while addressing their environmental implications through novel detection methods like ED-HSI microscopy.

Labs & Initiatives:

• WTEN Lab: Focuses on nanotechnology-driven water solutions.
• VIBES: Develops environmental surveillance tools for public health.
• Secure Surgical Solutions: Applies nanotechnology to medical devices.