Yang Yang, an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson, was recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) through their 40 under 40 program.
This program was introduced to recognize talented individuals who have, either personally or as part of a team, been responsible for helping to advance the fields of Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering in a demonstrable way within the last 12 months. Winners are chosen by a panel of past recipients who weigh equally business successes and civic/philanthropic activities.
“Prof. Yang being named a member of this highly selective group reflects the seminal contributions of his research group as well as his key role in the groundbreaking research efforts being conducted in environmental engineering at Clarkson in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and elsewhere on campus,” said Professor Steven Wojtkiewicz, Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
Yang’s research interests lie in the synthesis and characterization of advanced electro-active materials, advanced oxidation/reduction techniques for emerging contaminant removal and value-added chemical production, and the development and commercialization of decentralized water treatment techniques for WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) applications.
His research group at Clarkson received more than $2 million in funding from the NSF, DoD, DoE, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Environmental Research and Education Foundation.
He has three patents and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles in flagship journals. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2023, the ACS ES&T Engineering Excellence in Review Award in 2023, the Inaugural best paper award of ACS ES&T Engineering in 2021, the Clarkson Ignite Research Fellowship Award in 2019, and the Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Best Paper Award in 2019. He was elected to the Young Editorial Board of the Frontiers of Environmental Science and Engineering. He is an associate editor of Emerging Contaminants and an Early Career Editorial Board member of ACS ES&T Engineering.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree from South China University of Technology, Ph.D. from Tsinghua University, and postdoc training from California Institute of Technology.