Upal Ghosh

Professor Upal Ghosh is a faculty member at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), holding the position of Professor in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering within the College of Engineering. His research focuses on pollutant fate, bioavailability, and remediation technologies, particularly for hydrophobic organic contaminants such as PCBs, PAHs, and mercury. With over 25 years of experience, Ghosh has pioneered novel sediment remediation techniques and passive sampling methods, contributing to commercial technologies like SediMite through his startup companies Sediment Solutions LLC and RemBac Environmental. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Research (2016) and the UMBC Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2019).

Education:

• Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, SUNY Buffalo, 1998
• M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, SUNY Buffalo, 1993
• B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 1989

Research Interests: Ghosh’s group investigates multidisciplinary approaches to assess pollutant exposure pathways, develop remediation technologies, and transition innovations to real-world applications. Key areas include:

• Equilibrium passive sampling for pollutant bioavailability
• Activated carbon-based sediment amendments
• Bioremediation via microbial biofilms
• PFAS monitoring and risk assessment

His research bridges engineering and environmental science, emphasizing sustainable solutions for contaminated sites.

Grants & Projects:

• DoD ESTCP-funded sediment remediation projects
• NIEHS grants for PCB bioremediation studies
• State and federal collaborations for water quality monitoring

Labs & Teams: The Ghosh Lab at UMBC fosters innovation through a dynamic team of graduate students, postdocs, and industry partners. Notable projects include field deployments of passive samplers in the Anacostia River and development of the actively shaken in-situ sampler for methylmercury.