Luis Cabrales

Luis Cabrales is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechatronics Engineering at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), where he is a founding faculty member. He previously held roles as Assistant and Associate Professor at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), serving as Department Chair of Physics and Engineering. His expertise spans water treatment technologies, polymer science, and renewable materials.

Education:

• BS in Chemical Engineering, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Tamaulipas (Altamira, Mexico)
• MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering (specialization in Fibers and Biopolymers), Texas Tech University

Research Focus: Cabrales' work addresses produced water treatment from oilfields, polymer surface modification for oleophobicity, cellulose material analysis, and bio-based polymers. His recent projects include bioremediation using marine diatoms and probabilistic risk assessments of agricultural water use.

Publications: His research spans 17 peer-reviewed articles. Recent themes include advanced materials engineering (e.g., flame-retardant composites), environmental impact of produced water reuse, and fundamental studies on cotton fiber development. He employs techniques like FTIR, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy for material characterization.

Labs/Initiatives: Leads the creation of CSUMB’s BS in Mechatronics Engineering program (launching Fall 2024), emphasizing interdisciplinary engineering solutions for sustainability and industry collaboration.