Evangelia Anna Passa, a PhD student in environmental engineering at the University of Cincinnati, was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science, according to a May 4 announcement.
Passa’s recognition highlights her ongoing work in water treatment and environmental engineering. Her interest in protecting water resources began with a grade school project on water waste and grew during her undergraduate studies at Democritus University of Thrace in Greece. She said she developed “a strong interest in water research, which motivated me to pursue opportunities abroad, where research in environmental engineering is both advanced and impactful.”
Passa chose UC for her graduate studies after meeting the late Dionysious Dionysiou, professor of environmental engineering. “He believed in my potential and encouraged me to join his group as a PhD student, which strongly influenced my decision to apply,” Passa said. She added that UC offers “cutting-edge research, great academic training, and meaningful industry collaboration.” Her current research focuses on treatment technologies for emerging contaminants using UV-based advanced oxidation processes.
She said her motivation comes from knowing that even seemingly clean water can contain trace chemicals that are difficult to remove: “This makes water quality a more complex problem than just visible pollution.” As part of her doctoral program, Passa has collaborated with researchers across multiple universities and served as an active member within both the Graduate Student Association and Graduate Student Government.
Among her achievements are contributing as second author on a peer-reviewed publication during her PhD studies and being nominated for the Ohio Section American Water Works Association Graduate Scholarship. She also presented at several conferences and mentored undergraduates as a teaching assistant.
Looking ahead to graduation in Spring 2027, Passa plans to continue working on issues related to water quality through either industry or academia: “My goal is to keep working on meaningful problems, especially those related to water quality and treatment.”
