Opportunities

Prospective Undergraduate Researchers

If you are interested in hands-on research experience, come join our group! We have lots of resources to accommodate undergraduate students in our lab and a diversified profile of projects for you to choose from, including electrochemical wastewater treatment, membrane separation, biological nutrient removal, and resource recovery from wastewater. MSU undergraduate students are encouraged to contact Dr. Zou regarding their research interests and financial support. Undergraduate researchers will be paired with doctoral students, but are expected to work independently and make novel contributions through their research.

Resource: Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

Prospective Graduate Students

We welcome self-motivated students to join our group!

Given current uncertainties in federal funding, we are still open to accepting new prospective graduate students, though with caution. If you already have external government funding to support your studies, we encourage you to reach out to us.

Prospective M.S. Students: We currently have no funding to support new M.S. students.

Prospective Ph.D. Students: While research/teaching assistantships are limited, students are strongly encouraged to seek external funding opportunities to sponsor their Ph.D. studies at Michigan State University. The selected candidates will join Dr. Shiqiang (Nick) Zou’s lab and are expected to work on research projects relevant to energy-efficient wastewater treatment and resource recovery.

The following qualifications are desired:

  1. A bachelor’s or master’s degree in relevant science and engineering fields. For undergraduate students with a “Civil Engineering” or equivalent discipline, please provide documented evidence of a strong background in chemistry. This should include coursework in areas such as inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, aquatic chemistry, and thermodynamics, as evidenced by transcripts. If your undergraduate program did not offer these courses, we recommend starting with an M.S. program to build the necessary foundation before pursuing a Ph.D. program.
  2. Previous experience in wastewater treatment using environmental bioprocess, membrane reactors, electrochemical process, and/or bioelectrochemical systems is preferred;
  3. Previous experience in wastewater quality analysis (e.g., IC, LC-MS, and ICP-MS) and electrochemical analysis (e.g., voltammetry and amperometry) is a plus;
  4. Good communication skills, team spirit, and experience in publishing peer-reviewed papers;

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Shiqiang (Nick) Zou with the subject line “MSU EnvE PhD application.” Please indicate that

  1. If you have secured an external fellowship for your Ph.D. study (including funding sources/programs from NSF, CSC, ORISE, etc.);
  2. Or if you need graduate research or teaching assistantship. We currently don’t have funding to support a new Ph.D. student, but you will be placed in a candidate pool.

Please attach your application package in a single PDF file with your updated CV (max two pages), unofficial transcript(s), GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores, the contact information of three references, and a publication list (if applicable). Failing to provide these materials may lead to a delayed response.

More information about the application and admission can be found at https://engineering.msu.edu/academics/majors-degrees/environmental-engineering-phd

MSU Engineering Office Location

428 S Shaw Ln Rm 3559

Engineering Bldg

East Lansing, MI 48824

MSU Mailing/Billing Address

428 S Shaw Ln Rm 3546

Engineering Bldg

East Lansing, MI 48824

MBI Office Location

3815 Discovery Dr

MSU Bioeconomy Institute Rm C108

Lansing, MI 48910

MBI Lab Address

3815 Discovery Dr

MSU Bioeconomy Institute Rm C116

Lansing, MI 48910

MBI Lab Delivery Address

3900 Collins Rd

Lansing, MI 48910

Resources

National Alliance for Water Innovation   WE3Lab at Stanford

EBBL website      Annual Report of EBBL (2015)  EBBL(2016)  EBBL(2017)  EBBL(2018)  EBBL (2019)