Pedro J. J. Alvarez

Alvarez is the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. He is also the director of the Institute for Clean Water Technologies, Entrepreneurship and Research (WaTER) at Rice, which is dedicated to advancing research and innovation to shape the future of sustainable water treatment across three key focus areas ⎯ public health, energy transition and resilient infrastructure. Alvarez’s research examines nanotechnology and bioremediation applications to degrade hazardous chemicals during water treatment and reuse; antibiotic resistance propagation countermeasures; phage-based microbiome editing; and the water of the energy transition.

Alvarez currently serves on the board of directors of Houston Endowment Inc., a private foundation dedicated to improving quality of life for residents of greater Houston, and as executive editor of Environmental Science and Technology, a publication of the American Chemical Society. In the past, Alvarez has served on the scientific advisory board of the Environmental Protection Agency and on the advisory committee of the National Science Foundation Engineering Directorate. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the Clarke Prize for outstanding research in water science and technology; the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists Grand Prize for Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science; the Water Environment Federation McKee Medal; the ASCE Freese Award; and various best paper awards with his students.