Noel R. Urban

Noel R. Urban is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering at Michigan Technological University. He holds a PhD and MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and a BS in Environmental Engineering and BA in Russian Language & Culture from Syracuse University.

His research focuses on aquatic biogeochemistry, particularly in the Great Lakes and wetland systems. Key areas include sediment diagenesis, carbon cycling, trace metal dynamics (mercury, copper), and the environmental impacts of mining activities. Current projects involve interdisciplinary studies on contaminant bioaccumulation, tribal landscape systems, and Great Lakes acidification.

Urban has contributed to numerous high-impact publications in journals like Limnology and Oceanography, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and Biogeochemistry. His work integrates field studies, modeling, and policy analysis to address environmental challenges.

He advises over 20 graduate students on topics ranging from PCB monitoring in rivers to mercury cycling in contaminated lakes. Major grants include NSF/NOAA-funded projects on Lake Superior dynamics and collaborations with tribal communities on remediation strategies.