Akram N. Alshawabkeh

Senior Associate Dean for Global Engineering Campus,  Office of the Dean
George A. Snell Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor,  Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director,  PROTECT Superfund Research Center

Contact

Social Media

Office

  • 617.373.3994

Research Focus

Geoenvironmental engineering, soil and groundwater remediation; electrokinetic and electrochemical processes; contaminant fate and transport environmental restoration

Education

  • PhD, Louisiana State University, 1994
  • MS, Jordan University of Science & Technology, 1990
  • BE, Yarmouk University, 1988

Licensure

  • Professional Engineer: Louisiana

Honors & Awards

  • 2022 Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service
  • 2014 ASCE Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award
  • 2009 Transportation Research Board, Certificate of Appreciation
  • 2005-2006 Fulbright Scholar – Jordan
  • 2004 College of Engineering Outstanding Researcher Award, NU
  • 2004 Søren Buus Outstanding Research Award
  • 2001 National Science Foundation CAREER Award

Professional Affiliations

  • American Chemical Society
  • American Geophysical Union
  • American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow
  • International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
  • Jordan Engineer Society
  • The US Universities Council on Geotechnical Engineering Research

Research Overview

Geoenvironmental engineering, soil and groundwater remediation; electrokinetic and electrochemical processes; contaminant fate and transport environmental restoration

Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Program

Supported with funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Superfund Research Program, the PROTECT Center studies exposure to environmental contamination in Puerto Rico and its contribution to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth (less than 37 completed weeks of gestation). Rates of preterm birth and infant mortality in Puerto Rico are among the highest of all US states and territories.

PROTECT

Selected Research Projects

Selected Publications

  • Pahriya Ashrap, Deborah J. Watkins, Bhramar Mukherjee, Zaira Rosario-Pabón, Carmen M. Vélez-Vega, Akram Alshawabkeh, José F. Cordero, John D. Meeker, (2021) Performance of urine, blood, and integrated metal biomarkers in relation to birth outcomes in a mixture setting, Environmental Research, Volume 200, 2021, 111435, ISSN 0013-9351. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121007295
  • Monica K. Silver, Jennifer Fernandez, Jason Tang, Anna McDade, Jason Sabino, Zaira Rosario, Carmen Vélez Vega, Akram Alshawabkeh, José F. Cordero, and John D. Meeker (2021) “Prenatal Exposure to Glyphosate and Its Environmental Degradate, Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA), and Preterm Birth: A Nested Case–Control Study in the PROTECT Cohort (Puerto Rico)” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 129, No. 5, https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7295
  • Sheikh Mokhlesur Rahman, Jiaqi Lan, David Kaeli, Jennifer Dy, Akram Alshawabkeh, April Z. Gu, (2022) Machine learning-based biomarkers identification from toxicogenomics – Bridging to regulatory relevant phenotypic endpoints, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 423, Part B, 2022, 127141, ISSN 0304-3894, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421021099
  • Amber L. Cathey, Jarrod L. Eaton, Pahriya Ashrap, Deborah J. Watkins, Zaira Y. Rosario, Carmen Vélez Vega, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, José F. Cordero, Bhramar Mukherjee, John D. Meeker, (2021) Individual and joint effects of phthalate metabolites on biomarkers of oxidative stress among pregnant women in Puerto Rico, Environment International, Volume 154, 2021, 106565, ISSN 0160-4120, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021001902
  • Wei Zhou, Feng Li, Yanlin Su, Junfeng Li, Shuai Chen, Liang Xie, Siyu Wei, Xiaoxiao Meng, Ljiljana Rajic, Jihui Gao, Akram N Alshawabkeh “O-doped graphitic granular biochar enables pollutants removal via simultaneous H2O2 generation and activation in neutral Fe-free electro-Fenton process,” Separation and Purification Technology, V 262, 1 May 2021, pp. 118327
  • Katherine A Sauder, et al., (2021) Disparities in Risks of Inadequate and Excessive Intake of Micronutrients during Pregnancy, The Journal of Nutrition, 2021;, nxab273, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab273
  • Pahriya Ashrap, Amira Aker, Deborah J. Watkins, Bhramar Mukherjee, Zaira Rosario-Pabón, Carmen M. Vélez-Vega, Akram Alshawabkeh, José F. Cordero, John D. Meeker, (2021) “Psychosocial status modifies the effect of maternal blood metal and metalloid concentrations on birth outcomes,” Environment International, V. 149, 106418.
  • Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, Pahriya Ashrap, Emily S. Barrett, Deborah J. Watkins, Amber L. Cathey, Carmen M. Vélez-Vega, Zaira Rosario, José F. Cordero, Akram Alshawabkeh, John D. Meeker (2021) “Association of biomarkers of exposure to metals and metalloids with maternal hormones in pregnant women from Puerto Rico,” Environment International, Volume 147, pp. 106310.
  • Long Chen, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Shayan Hojabri, Meng Sun, Guiyin Xu, Ju Li, (2021) “A Robust Flow-Through Platform for Organic Contaminant Removal,” Cell Reports Physical Science, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp. 100296.

Faculty

Feb 26, 2024

Northeastern Among Top 100 Universities for Utility Patents

Northeastern University, recognized for its excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship, has once again been named one of the top 100 universities worldwide for securing utility patents by the National Academy of Inventors.

Faculty

Dec 07, 2023

2023 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2% of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes those […]

Students

Oct 18, 2023

WBUR: To Slow Climate Change, Some Want to ‘Engineer the Ocean’

University Distinguished and Snell Professor of Engineering Akram Alshawabkeh’s lab is working with Sr. Scientist Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to see if a simple, solar-powered battery attached to a small float might be able to deliver a constant, low-dose of iron in the ocean to address climate change. View the WBUR […]

Faculty

Sep 13, 2023

New Methods of Treating Contaminated Water

Senior Associate Dean for Research and Global University Campus Akram Alshawabkeh was awarded a patent for a “Robust flow-through platform for organic contaminants removal.” Abstract Source: USPTO Disclosed is an electro-Fenton-like (EFL) platform wherein an electrochemically produced acidic environment supports heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction for high throughput water treatment. The platform enables the treatment of contaminated […]

Faculty

Nov 02, 2022

2022 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]

Faculty

Apr 15, 2022

Faculty and Staff Awards 2022

Congratulations to all the winners of the faculty and staff awards, and to everyone for their hard work and dedication during the 2021-2022 academic school year.

Faculty

Dec 23, 2021

COE Professors Selected in Stanford University List of Top 2% Scientists Worldwide

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes […]

photo of Akram Alshawabkeh outside

Faculty

Apr 06, 2020

Alshawabkeh Appointed University Distinguished Professor

Akram Alshawabkeh, Director of PROTECT & CRECE Centers, Snell Professor of Engineering, and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, has been appointed to the rank of University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor the university can bestow upon a faculty member, for his accomplishments and achievements in the field of geoengineering and environmental health.

photo of Akram Alshawabkeh outside

Faculty

Mar 23, 2020

PROTECT Research Center: Continuing a Bold Mission for Environmental Health

This week, the PROTECT multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research center, led by Akram Alshawabkeh, Director of PROTECT, and Snell Professor of Engineering and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, was awarded a five-year $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue and expand its work. This next phase of PROTECT research will include the study of an additional 1,000 pregnant women and look at a mixture of chemicals beyond the initial two suspect chemical classes.

Faculty

Jul 30, 2019

Larese-Casanova, Alshawabkeh, Fernandez Awarded DoD SERDP Grant

CEE Associate Professor Philip Larese-Casanova (PI), Assistant Professor Loretta Fernandez, and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Akram Alsahwabkeh were awarded a $760K grant from the DoD’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) for “Electrochemically-Induced in situ Degradation of Legacy Munitions and Insensitive High Explosives in Manufacturing Wastewater.”

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