Two Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) faculty — Samantha McBride, William K. Gemmill Term Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Nathan Wei, Assistant Professor — have been named Environmental Innovations Initiative (EII) faculty fellows. They join the Initiative’s second cohort for a two-year term focused on tackling the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises through collaborative, actionable research.
The EII serves as both a platform and a catalyst for translating Penn’s cutting-edge scholarship into real-world impact. By developing, connecting, and enhancing the University’s research, education, and outreach efforts, the Initiative fosters transdisciplinary dialogue and community among faculty, students, and external partners. Throughout their fellowship, McBride and Wei will participate in regular gatherings, receive research support, and engage in high-profile events such as Climate Week to amplify their work.
McBride will build on her lab’s efforts in water treatment, desalination, sustainable coatings, and carbon capture, while launching new research on lithium recovery from waste brines for simultaneous remediation and circular reuse of metals. “I am so excited to have been selected as an EII faculty fellow,” says McBride. “I look forward to joining a multi-disciplinary community of scientists who are both leaders in their respective fields and passionate about using their work to inspire new solutions to pressing environmental challenges.” In addition, McBride will take part in the Philadelphia Emerging Contaminants Initiative, sponsored by EII, is a new collaborative research community that brings expertise from medicine, engineering, environmental science, and the Water Center at Penn to monitor PFAS, heavy metals, and microplastics across Philadelphia.
Wei brings expertise in atmospheric turbulence and renewable energy to EII’s Extreme Heat Working Group. “I am honored and excited to join this cohort of EII faculty fellows and to learn from the variety of approaches they take to confront our current climate challenges,” he says, underscoring EII’s role in deepening his awareness of extreme heat’s destructive impacts on urban human flourishing. “I look forward to working with researchers from across Penn’s campus to improve ventilation, air quality, human health, and energy efficiency in urban environments.”