Sabrina Volponi
Assistant Professor
Contact information
2118 Fiedler Hall
svolponi@k-state.edu
Google Scholar
Education
- Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 2024
- M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 2024
- B.S., Mathematics, Bridgewater College, 2020
- B.S., Environmental Science, Bridgewater College, 2020
Professional experience
Sabrina Volponi received her doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, where she used a combination of physical experiments, simulations and mathematical modeling to study how exposure time could be used to better predict the fate and transport of contaminants through a range of flowing environments, including streams, soils and fractured rock. As a graduate student, she interned at Los Alamos National Lab and was a visiting researcher at the Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy. After finishing her degree, she spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Washington State University, where she developed new approaches for incorporating environmental exposure time into traditional transport models.
Research
Anthropogenic activities introduce a wide range of contaminants into surface and groundwater environments, and the fate of these contaminants is often difficult to predict and control. This difficulty stems in part from the physical, chemical and biological complexity of these environments, complexity that also creates opportunities for contaminants to be removed naturally. Sabrina Volponi’s research focuses on characterizing the processes that drive contaminant retention and processing within the environment, enabling the development of better predictive risk models and engineering strategies to maximize natural contaminant removal. Her research investigates the riverbed as a biogeochemical hotspot, reaction delays due to mixing limitations, the capacity of soils to filter transported micro and nanoparticles, and the fate and transport of environmental genetic material.
She is seeking passionate students interested in further studies at the master’s and doctoral level. Interested students are encouraged to reach out to her directly
Academic highlights
Sabrina Volponi has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles spanning a range of disciplines. In addition to her research, she has served as a scientific advisor for MBA students designing a business plan for a sustainable farm in Colombia and as an advisor for an angel investing group focused on green technology. She loves engaging with students and is thrilled to do her part in passing knowledge forward.