[CCoE Notice] Associate Dean for Research and Facilities

[Grayson, Audrey A]

Sent on Behalf of Dean Tedesco
Dear CCoE Faculty and Staff,
I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Hanadi Rifai, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Director of the Environmental Engineering Graduate Program in the Cullen College of Engineering, will be assuming the position of Associate Dean for Research and Facilities on June 1st.
In her new role, Hanadi will be responsible for developing a research vision for the future of the Cullen College of Engineering, identifying specific areas of emphasis and growth. Hanadi will be working closely with the UH Division of Research as well as the leaders of UH Energy and UH Health to develop major research initiatives and secure the formation of new research centers. In addition, Hanadi will be working with our community - including our local energy industry, the Texas Medical Center, and federal, state, and local government agencies - to develop a more robust research portfolio for the UH Cullen College of Engineering.
However, in order to grow our research initiatives at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, we must also address one more major issue: space. Our growth of research initiatives at the Cullen College of Engineering depends on the growth of our research facilities, and Hanadi is fiercely devoted to spearheading the expansion of both.
With Hanadi leading the growth of both our research and our facilities at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, I am looking toward the future of our college with hope, pride, and excitement!
Please see below for a short biography for Dr. Hanadi Rifai.
Thank you and all the best,
Joseph W. Tedesco, Ph. D., P.E.
Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean and Professor
Cullen College of Engineering
University of Houston
jtedesco at uh.edu<mailto:jtedesco at uh.edu>
(713) 743-4207

Hanadi S. Rifai, Ph.D, P.E.
Dr. Rifai has served as a Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Houston for over 15 years. She currently serves as Director of the Environmental Engineering Graduate Program.
Dr. Rifai, who earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Rice University, has devoted much of her career to engineering a cleaner and safer environment. Prior to joining the Cullen College of Engineering, Dr. Rifai served as the executive director of the Energy and Environmental Systems Institute at Rice University. Her expertise includes ground water flow and transport modeling, risk assessment, natural attenuation, hazardous waste management, urban storm water quality, non-point source pollution, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), water quality modeling, Decision Support Systems and Geographic Information Systems.
In addition to authoring the widely-used BIOPLUME computer model for biodegradation and natural attenuation modeling, Dr. Rifai established the GIS (Geographical Information Systems) resources within the Cullen College of Engineering and collaborated with other colleagues from all four UH campuses to ensure their licensing, deployment and use across the UH system. Her current research is focused on characterization, modeling and treatment of pathogens and persistent organic pollutants in natural water systems in addition to understanding the environmental factors that may be involved in childhood obesity. Her research program is currently supported by the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, NSF, CDC, and Houston Endowment.
Dr. Rifai has served on the EPA Science Advisory Board committees and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) task forces for risk assessment, natural attenuation and bacterial TMDLs. She is a member of ASCE, NGWA, AGU, WEF, ACS, and ASEEP.
To view Dr. Rifai's full CV, please visit: http://www2.egr.uh.edu/~rifai/2011CV_Rifai_Feb__Web.pdf.

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