Chemical Biochemical and Environmental Engineering (CBEE)

Fall 2025 PhD Funding Opportunities

Jorge Almodovar, Ph.D.
Engineering polymeric biomaterials for cell manufacturing, tissue repair, and drug delivery
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/jorge-almodovar/

Özgür Çapraz, Ph.D.
Performance of materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/ozgur-capraz/

Corine Jackman Burden, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics, synthetic biology, microfluidics, vaginal microbiome, infectious disease
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/corine-jackman-burden/

Christopher Hennigan, Ph.D.
Aerosol science, health effects, climate change, atmospheric chemistry
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/christopher-hennigan/

Claire Welty, Ph.D. 
Coupled groundwater/surface water modeling of urban systems. 
Website: https://urbanhydrology.umbc.edu/

Upal Ghosh, Ph.D.
Pollutant fate and bioavailability in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/upal-ghosh/

Lee Blaney, Ph.D.
Occurrence, fate/treatment, and transport of contaminants of emerging concern
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/lee-blaney/

Tyler Josephson, Ph.D.
Develop AI and LLM tools and use molecular simulations to understand chemistry in the environment
Website: https://cbee.umbc.edu/faculty/tyler-josephson/

Application details:

Deadline for Ph.D. programs: January 7
Application fee waivers: available by emailing cbeegrad@umbc.edu
Contacting an potential advisor: Students interested in applying are welcome to reach out directly to the faculty members whose research aligns with your specific research interests. Applicants are not required to secure an advisor prior to applying to the program for Fall admission. Applicants should identify which faculty they would like to work with in your 'Statement of academic goals and research interests'

More details on Application process: https://cbee.umbc.edu/academics/graduate-application/

PhD Stipend

$39K+
($39,900/year for 2025–2026; plus tuition remission and health insurance for full-time PhD students)

Learn more about CBEE's graduate progams:  https://cbee.umbc.edu/grad

UMBC Cyber Defense Lab presents

FT-PrivacyScore: Personalized Privacy Scoring for Machine Learning Participation

Dr. Keke Chen, UMBC

1-2 pm EDT Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, online

Joint work with PhD students Ethan Gu and Jiajie He

Sarah-Fatime Yoda ’24, chemical engineering, received research award to France 

Excerpt from UMBC NEWS “Retrievers are upping their research game in the 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Program cohort”

By: Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque | Published: Sep 23, 2024

Advancing global research

Attram is among eight recent graduates and alumni in UMBC’s 2024 – 2025 Fulbright U.S. Student Program class who are sharing their knowledge and building community around the world by earning a master’s degree, conducting research, or teaching English. This year is especially significant, as six of eight awards are research-focused, marking the highest number of research awards in UMBC’s Fulbright history. Students seeking research awards must develop a proposal in coordination with potential advisers in the universities and laboratories where they want to study as part of their application. Graduate degree awards require submitting both Fulbright and graduate school applications.

1. Arpita Tuladhar ’23 public health, Research Award to Germany
2. Jennifer Sorrells ’22, political science, Research Award to North Macedonia
3. Jolie Greer ’24, psychology, Research Award to Bulgaria 
4. Lauren Mister ’24, teaching English to speakers of other languages, English Teaching Award to Bahrain
5. Sarah-Fatime Yoda ’24, chemical engineering, Research Award to France
6. Stuart Holton ’24, political science, English Teaching Award to Slovakia
7. Timothy Mallard, M.A. ’21, teaching English to speakers of other languages, Research Award to Uganda

“This year’s cohort of Fulbright recipients and alternates shows the country and the globe what we at UMBC already know,” says Brian Souders, Ph.D. ’09, language, literacy, and culture, M.A.’19, TESOL, the associate director of global learning at UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement. In this role, Souders, who received a 2023 Fulbright International Education Administrator Award to Germany, has led hundreds of Retrievers through the Fulbright application process as UMBC’s Fulbright Program advisor. “We produce world-class graduates who will lead the future with their work in laboratories, in the field, and in the classrooms throughout the world.” (Image by Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

Learn more about UMBC’s Fulbright Program.

Read original post via UMBC NEWS:2024 – 2025 Fulbright Retrievers Are Upping Their Research Game In The 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Cohort

Let’s face it — today’s competitive job market is TOUGH. That’s why utilizing as many tools, technologies, and resources at your disposal is so important, and can make a huge difference if integrated in your job search strategy.

One of these tools that cannot be ignored is AI. With the use of a single prompt you can have edits, content, and keyword suggestions all at your fingertips. Generative AI tools can help you work smarter, not harder. This applies to every aspect of the job search process, but can be especially helpful for resumes. Here are three  ways in particular that AI can enhance your resume: 

1.     Identifying Keywords. You can use AI to scan job descriptions of interest for the top keywords and skills that should be integrated into your resume. This process allows you to align your resume with the qualifications hiring managers and recruiters are looking for in an ideal candidate. Incorporating keywords also increases the likelihood that you’ll get past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and make it to the next round.

EXAMPLE PROMPT: What are the top 15 most important skill keywords for this job description? [PASTE JOB DESCRIPTION]

2.     Assisting with Format. AI can help you determine the best format for your resume to catch an employer’s eye. You can ask the tool for layout recommendations, and determine whether your font style is the most appropriate. You can also ask the AI to give feedback on how your resume should be structured based on the type of job you’re applying to. This strategy ensures that your most relevant (and impressive) experiences are being seen.

EXAMPLE PROMPT: How should I organize the sections of my resume [PASTE RESUME WITH PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION REMOVED] to best match the qualifications of this job description? [PASTE JOB DESCRIPTION]

3.     Suggesting Tone and Language. If you’re having trouble with the bullet points in your experience section in particular, AI can help by suggesting edits. You can ask the AI to craft language that is more results-driven or achievement-oriented, while incorporating the keywords you’ve identified. AI can also help your resume stay in active voice, and can help you trim down content if you’re finding yourself over the standard 1-2 pages. 

EXAMPLE PROMPT: Please rewrite this bullet point for my resume [PASTE BULLET POINT COPY] so that it is results-driven and incorporates keywords from this job description. [PASTE JOB DESCRIPTION]

Remember, the use of AI to improve your resume should be seen as a tool — something that you have complete control over to shape your narrative. The point of using these tools is to not let the technology completely take over but for it to be just one part of your overall job search strategy. By allowing AI to assist with this process, you’ll be able to more strategically align your skill sets to your career of choice, resulting in a resume with a fully competitive edge.

Want to know more about how AI can be used to beat the bot of the ATS in particular? Join us at the Keys to Success presentation on optimizing your resume to catch the attention of employers on Monday, November 4, at 12 PM in the Commons, room 331.