Jessica Ray , Ph.D.

Ms. Ray is the Robert and Irene Sylvester assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington. Ms. Ray received her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2009. Upon graduation, she remained at Washington University in St. Louis to obtain a M.S. degree (2010, funded by the NSF GK-12 Graduate Research Fellowship) and a Ph.D. in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (2015, funded by the EPA Students to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship). During her Ph.D., Ms. Ray employed surface chemistry techniques to investigate interfacial reactions of nanomaterials in water. She then moved to California as a Miller Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As a postdoc, Ms. Ray developed low-cost polymer-clay composites to treat urban stormwater. At the University of Washington, she is continuing to develop and characterize new composite materials for selective contaminant removal in water sources, and for enhanced degradation of persistent contaminants. Recent work includes development of materials for selective adsorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), PFAS destruction, and oxidation of trace organics and sorption of trace metals in wastewater and stormwater matrices. Ms. Ray has also begun investigating the fate and transport of microplastics and associated contaminants in stormwater runoff and in wastewater treatment facilities. In recognition of her novel, interdisciplinary research addressing urban water supply and sustainability, Chemical & Engineering News named her one of the “Talented 12” honorees for 2020 as well as the NSF CAREER Award in 2022.