David C. Mays

David C. Mays, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver in the Department of Civil Engineering within the College of Engineering, Design and Computing. He has been actively involved in both teaching and research since joining CU Denver in 2005, with a particular focus on inclusive teaching practices through initiatives like Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands (ESIL), Engineering is Not Neutral: Transforming Instruction through Collaboration and Engagement (ENNTICE), and Engineering Hispanic Serving Institutions (Engineering HSI) projects.

His research in Hydrologic, Environmental, and Sustainability Engineering addresses critical challenges in water flow through porous media, including granular media filters, soils, and groundwater aquifers. Key research areas include plume dynamics, dynamic permeability, and environmental hydrology. His work has been supported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. He has mentored numerous graduate students whose research outputs appear in peer-reviewed journals and technical conferences.

Notable contributions include the Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands (ESIL) certificate program and extensive work with the EPANET software for water distribution system modeling. His publications span topics from groundwater remediation to inclusive teaching methodologies, with recent works focusing on chaotic advection, sediment analysis, and cultural competency in engineering education.