Meet our talented team
“In the Inukshuk statue, each stone is a separate entity, each individual with its own significance; yet each is also supporting and being supported by the stones above and below it. It’s strength lies in its unity; its significance comes from its meaning as a whole.”
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sara Beck joined the Environmental Systems Engineering group within the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of British Columbia as an Assistant Professor in April 2021. With a research group focused on understanding and preventing pathogen transmission at the confluence of public health, water quality, and innovative water treatment solutions, she and her team use microbiology tools to improve water treatment and reuse processes and bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. Prior to joining UBC, Dr. Beck evaluated cost-effective decentralized water reuse technologies as a Fulbright Scholar at the Asian Institute of Technology (near Bangkok, Thailand) and as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Scientist at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (near Zurich, Switzerland).
Her research has been funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mitacs, the World Health Organization, National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the U.S.. State Department, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canadian Foundation for Innovation and BC Knowledge Development Fund. The Beck Lab has ongoing collaborations with Clear Inc, Watersprint Technologies, CAWST (the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technologies), the Public Health Agency of Canada, Medecines Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors without Borders), Kerr Wood Leidal, City of Vancouver, Carollo Inc, Brown and Caldwell, MW Technologies and USP Technologies.
Dr. Beck earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2015. Her doctoral dissertation on Wavelength-Specific Effects of UV Light on Microorganisms and Viruses for Improving Water Disinfection received the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) in 2016. She received an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. / B.A. in Aerospace Engineering / Studio Art from the University of Colorado Boulder. In her first career as a NASA flight controller for six years, she supported the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
Research Associates and Postdocs
Research Associate
Dr. Paul Onkundi Nyangaresi
Dr. Nyangaresi earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education Science (Physics and Mathematics) and a Master of Science degree in Electronics and Instrumentation, both from Kenyatta University, Kenya. He completed his Doctorate of Engineering Degree in Electronics Science and Technology from Xiamen University in China. More
PhD Students
PhD Candidate
Patrick Mirindi
Patrick has broad experience working in International Organizations, Healthcare Operations Monitoring and Evaluation and Infection Prevention and Control Programs. At UBC, he is investigating biofilms and virus detection, transmission and prevention methods.
PhD Candidate
Co-supervised with Madjid Mohseni
Thusitha Rathnayake
Thusitha received his M.Sc in Environmental Engineering and Management from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, where he specialized in Water and Wastewater Engineering, and his B.Sc in Biology from the University of Ruhuna in Sri Lanka. His research interests include membrane-based water and wastewater treatment... MORE
PhD Candidate
Stephen Zhang
Stephen is a dedicated environmental engineer with a passion for novel clean water treatment techniques. Holding an M.Sc in Environmental Engineering and Management from the prestigious Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). During his academic journey, he specialized in optimizing the UV/UVLED Photo-Fenton reaction and the Electro-Fenton reaction... MORE
PhD Student
Co-supervised with Caetano Dorea
Marion K. Mogusu
Marion Mogusu holds a Master of Science in Physics degree from Egerton University and a B. Sc in Physics from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, both in Kenya. Her Master’s research focused on developing flexible, cost effective and sustainable Perovskite Solar Cells for point-of-use (POU) water treatment systems. She... More
Master Students
Master of Science
Anastasia Bogdanovic
Anastasia received her BSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with honours from SFU where she honed her research skills as an undergraduate researcher in the Christians and Quarmby Labs. Prior to joining UBC, she worked as a Research Associate at STEMCELL Technologies, where she developed new cardiomyocyte cell culture products. ​
Master of Science
Michael Bredell
I'm an engineer who received her BSc in Environmental Engineering here at UBC with a strong interest in water and wastewater treatment, water and resource management, as well as sustainable urban development. Between my third and fourth years, I completed a year-long work term at an engineering consulting firm, where I gained valuable experience in contaminated site assessment and remediation, both... Click for More
Undergraduate Students
Undergrad Co-op Student
Jenavieve Gan
Jenavieve is an undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering at UBC with a strong interest in sustainable water treatment technologies and their application in remote and underserved communities. Originally from Indonesia, she is motivated by the potential to develop practical engineering solutions that support safer drinking water access while making use of the natural resources and environmental context of her home country... More
Undergrad Co-op Student
Sedra Mkaki
Sedra is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia and a recipient of the International Leader of Tomorrow Award. As a research assistant in the Beck Lab, she is currently working on projects focused on water treatment using UV technology. With a deep curiosity for biology, Sedra's scientific journey began with winning a Silver Medal at the National Biology Olympiad and competing in the IBO.
Alumni Members
Research Associates and Postdocs
Research Associate
2023 - 2024
Nataliia joined us from Kyiv, Ukraine where she was working at the National Science Academy as a senior researcher at the Institute of Hydromechanics. She received her PhD from the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and has expertise in water and wastewater treatment including computational modelling, fluid mechanics, and wastewater legislation.
Postdoctoral researcher,
2022 - 2025
Dr. Leili Abkar
Leili Abkar, Ph.D., was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC, partially funded by an NSERC-Postdoctoral Fellowship, and is now the Founder and CEO of ZalvaTech Recovery Inc. With a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering, she has extensive experience in water treatment, desalination, and membrane separation. In the Beck Lab, she expanded expertise in microbiome studies for gravity-driven membrane filtration. More
Master's Students
Master Student
2021-2024
Adefolawe Adeyeye
Folawe is from Nigeria and has experience working as a lab analyst and Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment Officer. She also founded a United for Health WASH group in Nigeria. She researched fouling and scaling of UV lamps in rural communities, working with a non-governmental organization in Mexico. Folawe is currently a Global WASH Advisor at the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). She will one day be the head of UNICEF. 😊
Graduate Academic Assistant
2022 - 2024
Haiqa Koul
Haiqa is a civil engineer who completed her master's in Environmental Systems Engineering in April 2024. In the Beck Lab, she studied biofilms on membranes in gravity-driven membrane filtration systems for drinking water treatment in rural communities as well as the use of UV-LED’s for water treatment. After a coop tour with Metro Vancouver in the Liquid Waste Services Department, she is now working at Metro Vancouver as an Assistant Project Engineer. MORE
Undergraduate Students
Undergrad Co-op Student - 2023
Harkirat studied biochemistry with a focus on neuroscience at UBC and is now pursuing a Master's in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in the Audas Lab at Simon Fraser University. Harki has a variety of research experiences ranging from cognitive psychology to biological fieldwork. His first paper was published in his first year at UBC in which he explored the air permeability of face masks using fluid dynamics. At the Beck Lab, Harki's focus was on quantifying the viral load before and after disinfection via different methods. MORE
Undergrad Co-op Student - 2024
Joshua, gained invaluable experience in the Beck Lab as a 4th-year biochemistry student and is currently a Research Assistant/Technician II in the Robinson Laboratory at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, within the Department of Medical Genetics at UBC. For his first co-op placement, as an S24 NSERC USRA research assistant, in the Beck Lab, he conducted comprehensive water quality analyses, focusing on disinfection and reuse, aiming to enhance water treatment processes. More
Undergrad Co-op Student - 2025
I am a student studying biology, with a focus on microbiology & molecular biology. As my first co-op, I’m gaining invaluable experience in the Beck Lab as a research assistant. My work primarily focuses on working with bacteriophages to test the effects of disinfection on viral biofilm growth. This experience has helped me gain a broad insight into what a scientific research setting looks like and has been a great foundation to learn multiple skills & ...Click for More
