Jean VanderGheynst

Professor Jean VanderGheynst is a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her research focuses on industrial biotechnology for biofuel production, microbial community management in environmental and food systems, and STEM diversity initiatives. She holds a PhD in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University (1997), an MS from Cornell (1994), and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University (1991).

Her research interests span biofuel production, soil microbiome dynamics, and sustainable pest management. Key projects include biosolarization techniques for soil health, microbial community analysis in anaerobic digestion, and black soldier fly larval cultivation for waste conversion. She has secured $2.3 million in grants, including NSF funding for engineering leadership programs and state grants for environmental testing infrastructure.

• Research Grants:
  • $811,936 from MA Technology Collaborative for Marine & Environmental Testing
  • $1,498,020 NSF grant for STEM graduate student leadership initiatives
• Awards:
  • 2019 Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award
  • 2018 Outstanding Senior Faculty Research Award
  • 2016 Woman of the Year Award (Congressman John Garamendi)

Her work bridges engineering, microbiology, and environmental science, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications. She actively promotes underrepresented groups in STEM through outreach programs like the UC Davis MESA initiative and postdoctoral mentoring programs. Her lab explores innovative solutions for bioresource utilization, including algal-bacterial wastewater treatment systems and phage genomics.