About

Gregory Lowry is the Hamerschlag University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, with a courtesy appointment in Chemical Engineering. He serves as an executive and associate editor of the ACS Journal Environmental Science & Technology. His research focuses on environmental nanotechnology and chemistry, aiming to enhance the efficiency and resilience of crop agriculture, environmental remediation, and water treatment. Lowry's academic background includes a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California at Davis, an M.S. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Geological and Environmental Sciences Department. He has published over 230 scientific articles and is recognized as a highly cited scientist, ranking in the top 1% in the field of ecology and environment. Throughout his career, Lowry has received numerous research awards, including the Science Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Malcolm Pirnie/AEESP Frontiers in Research Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, and the Casasent Outstanding Research Award from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Biology
• Environmental chemistry
• Business
• Chemical engineering
• Engineering
• Organic chemistry
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Composite material
• Biochemistry
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Computer Science
• Biophysics
• Polymer chemistry
• Environmental economics
• Biochemical engineering
• Inorganic chemistry
• Metallurgy
• Transport engineering
• Botany
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• Geochemical characterization of millions of individual atmospheric particles entrapped in Antarctic ice across the last glacial-interglacial transition

  Scientific Reports · 2026-03-30

  articleOpen access

  Reconstructing the source regions of past atmospheric dust preserved in ice remains a challenge in Antarctic glaciology. Until now, different dust properties were obtained by separate techniques and could not be directly correlated at single particle level limiting the dust characterization. Here we apply a novel technique (single particle Inductively Coupled Plasma-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry) to characterize millions of individual particles in low-volume (< 2 mL) ice samples. We analyzed more than 2,000,000 individual particles smaller than 2.5 µm in 28 discrete samples from Taylor Glacier, coastal East Antarctica, spanning 44-9 kyr BP. We show a glacial-interglacial shift in particle number and mass concentrations, as well as in the elemental and mineralogical compositions. Our observations suggest a common potential dust source area for central and coastal East Antarctica during the Last Glacial Period, followed by a transition to different dominant sources in coastal sites during the Holocene. These changes likely reflect large-scale variations in dust sources, and environmental conditions in the Southern Hemisphere. We have also identified and measured the elemental composition of thousands of volcanic particles < 2.5 µm, indicating occasional tephra deposition from one of the Victoria Land volcanoes around 14.8 kyr BP.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparison of robot-deployable sensing methods for autonomous in-field screening of total petroleum hydrocarbons

  Journal of Hazardous Materials · 2026-01-20

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Global Impact of 60 years of <i>ES</i> <i>&amp;T</i>

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2026-01-08 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  For 60 years, the Environmental Science & Technology research community has helped to define the fields of environmental science and engineering. The research topics have evolved over time to respond to the most pressing societal needs, from treatment technologies and pollution control strategies to address severe environmental pollution, to pollution prevention and industrial ecology to help mitigate emissions, and to defining planetary boundaries for sustainability. Since ES&T launched in 1967, it has helped to create a robust global network of researchers, with researchers from 144 countries now contributing to address critical global environmental and human health challenges. Throughout its six decades, ES&T research has remained highly relevant to understanding, addressing, and advancing solutions to both current and emerging challenges and for developing science-based policies to protect the environment and human health. We are optimistic that the ES&T research community will continue to serve to help shape research and action toward a healthier, resilient, and sustainable planet for all of us in the next 60 years.

  PublisherDOI

• <i>ES&amp;T</i> at 60: Science, Community, and the Facets of Impact

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2026-01-13

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Characterization of Microbial Consortia and the Products Associated with Selenium Reduction in Real Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Wastewater

  2025-06-19

  reportOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Thermal Decomposition of Metacinnabar (β-HgS) during Monoethylene Glycol Regeneration in Natural Gas Processing

  Energy & Fuels · 2025-04-14 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Elemental mercury and mercury (Hg)-bearing particles may be present in gas and condensate from specific geologic reservoirs and be coproduced with them. In this study, we found that over 70% of the Hg mass in field monoethylene glycol (MEG) is present as 100-200 nm particulate β-HgS, and it is therefore important to understand the decomposition behavior of β-HgS in MEG to determine the partitioning of mercury species in liquid natural gas (LNG) plants. Thermal decomposition studies in MEG and MEG-water solutions showed that β-HgS decomposition to elemental mercury started at around 100 °C, which is significantly lower than the 200 °C required for β-HgS decomposition in an inert gas. Density functional theory calculations supported the experimental observations that β-HgS has a lower decomposition temperature in solvents than its counterpart without a solvent because the solvent interactions decrease the Hg-S bond strength. Thermal decomposition studies at 130 °C showed that increased water content and decreased β-HgS particle size significantly increased the decomposition rate, while some common additives in field MEG did not have a significant effect. Experiment results suggest the decomposition pathway of β-HgS in MEG/water includes dissolution to form dissolved Hg(II) ions, followed by reduction to form elemental mercury by reaction with MEG. This study highlights the strong effect of solvent on the thermal decomposition mechanism of β-HgS, improving our understanding of the fate and species of Hg in petrochemical processing.

  PublisherDOI

• Preparing for the Next Generation of Material Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Concerns: Guidelines for Future Data Curation Collaborations

  Environmental Science & Technology Letters · 2025-06-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Emergence of a new class of nanoscaled contaminants, such as micro- and nanoplastics, as well as nanotechnology’s current transition into advanced materials have broadened the boundaries of the field. These field-expanding topics exemplify the core role of collaboration in creating “good” and trustable data for future analyses. It is imperative that the environmental health and safety community recalls previous efforts to integrate data surrounding engineered nanomaterials to serve as guidance for the next generation of materials. We therefore describe an international collaboration focused at the early stages in the informatics process, the data curation level. Our experiences are described in nine guidelines that can be adopted by future collaborations. These guidelines were written to be actionable and structured within scalable phases. Guidance is also provided on the necessary personnel roles that should be incorporated into funding plans for developing and using advanced materials. Current shifts in the field demand community consensus to define data that are qualified as “good” and “trustable”, which require collaboration at the early stages of the informatics and data generation processes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Advanced enzyme-assembled hydrogels for the remediation of contaminated water

  Nature Communications · 2025-03-28 · 23 citations

  articleOpen access

  Enzyme-catalyzed biodegradation is an emerging green strategy for environmental remediation, although challenged by high cost and poor robustness. Herein, natural biopolymer (cellulose)-derived hydrogels concurrently doped with β-cyclodextrin and montmorillonite nanosheets that are synthesized in one-step demonstrate exceptional pollutant affinity and mechanical strength. Laccase is then stably and effectively assembled onto the hydrogels by a facile strategy based on charge-assisted H-bonding, which can be extended to other enzymes. The advanced laccase-assembled hydrogels display excellent stability and increased degradation activity achieved by strong substrate capture and rapid electron transfer. The laccase-assembled hydrogels exhibit significantly improved removal (62-fold) and degradation (52-fold) performance compared to free laccase for diverse organic pollutants (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in real wastewater. This enhanced performance is maintained despite the presence of heavy metals, other organic chemicals or dissolved organic matter. This work provides a practical strategy for designing an advanced and sustainable biodegradation tool for environmental remediation. Enzyme-catalyzed biodegradation is an emerging green strategy for environmental remediation, although challenged by high cost and poor robustness. Here, the authors report a cellulose derived hydrogel with immobilized laccase for water remediation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impacts of Groundwater Constituents and Colloidal Activated Carbon (CAC) Surface Chemistry on the Adsorption of Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAA) in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)-Impacted Groundwater

  ACS ES&T Water · 2025-07-24 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  In situ sequestration of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) using colloidal activated carbon (CAC) is a growing technology at aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)-impacted sites, but its long-term effectiveness remains uncertain due to complex groundwater chemistry. Perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) adsorption was quantified in four groundwaters collected from AFFF-impacted sites using two CAC materials. PFAA adsorption was inhibited in each groundwater, with short-chain PFAA (<7 perfluorinated carbons) being more impacted than long-chain PFAA (>7 perfluorinated carbons). Groundwater with high concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) and diesel-range organics (DRO) caused the greatest decrease in adsorption compared to that of the control system (1 mM NaHCO3, pH = 7.5). Correlation analysis confirmed TOC and DRO were most strongly associated with decreased adsorption performance. Addition of individual groundwater solutes to unimpacted groundwater showed TOC has the strongest impact on long-chain PFAA adsorption while an additive effect was observed for short-chain PFAA. CAC with a high point of zero charge (pHPZC, 9.5) performed better than CAC with a low pHPZC (6.7) in every groundwater due to favorable electrostatic interactions, but this advantage was minimized in groundwater with elevated ionic strength. Scientists and practitioners will benefit from the results presented, which will inform future CAC barrier design and implementation.

  PublisherDOI

• Welcoming <i>ES&amp;T</i>’s 2025 Early Career Editorial Board

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2025-03-25

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• ECO-CBET: Foliar applied plant-activated nitrogen delivery agents for sustainable crop production.

  NSF · $1.7M · 2021–2026

• 2015 Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) Conference; Portland, Oregon; November 8 - 10, 2015

  NSF · $30k · 2015–2016

• Collaborative Research: Elucidating nanoparticle-plant leaf interactions for designing foliar-applied agrochemicals

  NSF · $352k · 2019–2024

• Collaborative Research: NanoFARM (Fate and effects of agriculturally relevant materials)

  NSF · $320k · 2015–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Tanapon Phenrat

  Naresuan University

  78 shared

• David A. Dzombak

  Carnegie Mellon University

  64 shared

• Robert D. Tilton

  Carnegie Mellon University

  60 shared

• Astrid Avellan

  57 shared

• Jason M. Unrine

  University of Kentucky

  56 shared

• Clément Levard

  Aix-Marseille Université

  55 shared

• Brian R. Strazisar

  43 shared

• Barbara Kutchko

  43 shared

Labs

• Lowry LabPI

  Environmental nanotechnology and chemistry research aiming to improve the efficiency and resilience of crop agriculture, environmental remediation, and water treatment.

Education

• B.S.

  University of California at Davis

• M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering

  University of Wisconsin at Madison

• Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering

  Stanford University

Awards & honors

• Science Award from the American Academy of Environmental Eng…
• Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Award from the Am…
• Malcolm Pirnie/AEESP Frontiers in Research Award from the As…
• Casasent Outstanding Research Award from his University
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sc…