Loretta A. Fernandez
Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Community and Outreach,
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Associate Professor,
Marine and Environmental Sciences
Contact
- l.fernandez@northeastern.edu
- 360 Huntington Avenue, 400 SN
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Office
- 473 Snell Engineering
- 617.373.5461
Lab
- 231 Egan Research Center
Research Focus
Environmental organic chemistry; passive sampling methods; transport and transformation of contaminants in built and natural environments
Education
- PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010
- SM, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005
- BS, Northeastern University, 2002
- BA, Tufts University, 1993
Honors & Awards
- 2024 Diversity Recognition Award
- 2022 College of Engineering Faculty Fellow
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award
- Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Project of the Year, Co-Performer (2011)
- National Research Council, Research Associateship (2010)
Professional Affiliations
- American Chemical Society
- Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
- Tau Beta Pi
Research Overview
Environmental organic chemistry; passive sampling methods; transport and transformation of contaminants in built and natural environments
Selected Research Projects
- Electrochemically-Induced in Situ Degradation of Legacy Munitions and Insensitive High Explosives in Manufacturing Wastewater
Co-Investigator, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program - Establishing an Approach to PFAS Forensics and a PFAS Source Materials Forensic Library
Co-Investigator, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program - Herbicide Monitoring Related to Hell’s Half Acre Invasive
Principal Investigator, Charles River Conservancy
Research Centers and Institutes
Affiliations:
Coastal Sustainability Institute
Social Science Environmental Health Institute
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- A.S. Joyce, L.A. Fernandez, R.M. Burgess, In Situ Investigation of Performance Reference Compound-Based Estimates of PCB Equilibrated Passive Sampler Concentrations and C free in the Marine Water Column, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 39(6), 2020, 1165-1173
- A.V. Mueller, M.J. Eden, J.M. Oakes, C. Bellini, L.A. Fernandez, Quantitative Method for Comparative Assessment of Particle Removal Efficiency of Fabric Masks as Alternatives to Standard Surgical Masks for PPE, Matter, 3, 2020, 1-13
- M.J. Benotti, L.A. Fernandez, G.F. Peaslee, G.S. Douglas, A.D. Uhler, S. Emsbo-Mattingly, A Forensic Approach for Indentifying PFAS Materials, Environmental Forensics,21(3-4), 2020, 319-333
Apr 03, 2025
Affinity Student Groups 20th Annual Joint Recognition Banquet
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners were recognized for their commitments to engineering affinity student groups at the 20th Annual Joint Recognition Banquet. The participating groups included SHPE, SWE, BESS, and SASE.
Mar 06, 2025
Sustainable Decontamination of Industrial Waste
CEE Associate Professors Matthew Eckelman, Loretta Fernandez, Amy Mueller, Philip Larese-Casanova, and Professor Akram Alshawabkeh published their research on “Chromium Removal From Concentrated Ammonium-Nitrate Solution: Electrocoagulation With Iron in a Plug-Flow Reactor” in Separation and Purification Technology.
Aug 28, 2024
Finding Unexpected Ordnances on the Seafloor With Passive Samplers
CEE Associate Professor Loretta Fernandez is working to develop passive samplers to locate munitions dumped into oceans decades ago during World Wars I and II, while also studying the potential toxicities of these weapons as they have degraded over time.
Mar 21, 2024
Field Experts Discuss the Monitoring of Microplastics in the Massachusetts Bay
At a full-day workshop, CEE/MES Associate Professor Loretta Fernandez, and members of research organizations, academia, and industry discussed microplastics in local water systems and proposed solutions to prevent potential health impacts as the plastics degrade.
Mar 14, 2024
Assessing the Environmental Impact of Discarded Unexploded Ordnances
CEE/MES Associate Professor Loretta Fernandez explains the environmental risks of unexploded munitions and the toxic heavy metals they contain being left underwater. Lead and mercury, among other toxic chemicals, can leach into ocean water, ground water, and soil sediment.
Feb 01, 2024
Faculty and Staff Awards 2024
The College of Engineering recognized faculty and staff at the annual faculty and staff awards event and thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication in support of our students, college, and university during the 2023-2024 academic year. View award recipients and photo gallery.
Oct 25, 2023
Students Nominated for Prestigious Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships
Benjamin Lanava, E’24, environmental engineering, and Siddharth Simon, E’24, computer engineering/computer science, were nominated by Northeastern for the Marshall Scholarship and Lanava also for the Rhodes Scholarship. Both prestigious awards support study in the UK for those distinguished by their academic accomplishments, records of leadership, and drive to serve.
Apr 28, 2022
FY23 TIER 1 Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 15 COE faculty and affiliates who were recipients of FY23 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants for 13 different projects.
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.
Jan 03, 2022
Choosing the Best Mask with the Omicron Variant
CEE Assistant Professor Loretta Fernandez and ChE Associate Professor Steve Lustig provide insights into what combination of materials and fits make the best face masks.