Kimberly A. Gray
· Stanley F. Pepper Professor of Civil and Environmental EngineeringVerifiedNorthwestern University · Chemical Engineering
Active 1800–2026
About
Kimberly A. Gray is the Stanley F. Pepper Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering (by courtesy) at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on environmental chemistry and applied ecology within natural and engineered environmental systems, with a particular emphasis on climate action, energy, and sustainability applications. Her overarching goal is to reinvent the flows of materials and energy in cities based on ecological principles to combat the climate emergency. Gray studies the synthesis, characterization, and performance of photo-active materials, primarily TiO2-based nanocomposites, for resource recovery and water/air treatment. She investigates nature-based engineered strategies to manage stormwater, prevent flooding, and restore ecological goods and services. Her work also includes studying the ecotoxicological impacts of nanomaterial mixtures in aquatic systems under light illumination. Recent projects involve designing urban systems that incorporate ecological processes to enhance resilience against climate change and demographic shifts. Additionally, she has completed a study for the U.S. State Department on the sustainable, resilient, and adaptive design of future embassies. Throughout her career, Gray has authored over 150 scientific papers and actively lectures on energy, climate, and environmental issues. She collaborates with NGOs such as the Chicago Legal Clinic to address environmental problems faced by low-income urban communities and develops innovative solutions for resource and economic recovery.
Research topics
- Chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Materials science
- Chemical engineering
- Optoelectronics
- Composite material
- Metallurgy
- Environmental health
- Nanotechnology
- Medicine
- Inorganic chemistry
- Photochemistry
Selected publications
Photocatalytic Oxidation of 4-Chlorophenol on Titanium Dioxide: A Comparison with γ-Radiolysis
2026-02-02
book-chapterTo gain useful insight into the mechanistic details of the TiO2 photocatalyzed oxidation of halogenated organic compounds, the intermediates produced during the photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) have been compared with those produced during γ-radiolysis. Photocatalytic degradation of 4-CP produces aromatic intermediates consistent with γ-radiolytic hydroxyl radical oxidation, but the distribution of the intermediates differs. The surface area of TiO2 has an important influence on the intermediate distribution suggesting that the presence of surface influences the reaction pathway. The course of photocatalytic transformation of 4-CP involves a combination of hydroxyl radical oxidation, direct electron transfer and surface chemical reactions contributing to the disappearance of 4-CP and its reaction intermediates in TiO2 slurries.
2026-02-02
book-chapterSenior authorThe photodegradation of TNT in a TiO2 slurry reactor was studied as both a potential treatment technique for the remediation of water with munitions contamination and to gain further insight into the behavior of a nitroaromatic compound in a photocatalytic system. Photocatalytic and direct photolytic reactions were compared by evaluating rates and extent of TNT transformation and mineralization in the presence and absence of oxygen. Nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium ion concentrations were determined and mass balances on carbon and nitrogen were performed for the catalytic system. The gamma radiolysis of photolyzed and non-photolyzed solutions of TNT was conducted to elucidate the extent of photoreduction occurring in TNT photolysis. TNT is photolytically labile and was transformed rapidly under each set of photochemical conditions. Transformation by-products were destroyed readily under oxygenated catalytic conditions using near UV radiation (λ >340 nm) with greater than 90% mineralization achieved in 120 minutes. Additionally, significant amounts of ammonium ion were produced under these conditions which suggests that the photocatalytic transformation of TNT involves both oxidative and reductive steps. In contrast, little by-product destruction occurred under direct photolytic conditions. The γ-radiolysis data indicate that although direct photoreduction of the aromatic nitrogen occurs, most of the ammonium ion observed during TNT photocatalysis occurs as a result of interfacial reduction at the catalyst surface.
Environmental Science Nano · 2025-12-04
articleOpen accessSenior authorUnder light n-TiO 2 or n-Ag increased infection by phage f1 while the ENM mixtures suppressed the effect, despite enhanced membrane permeability, F-pili gene expression, and pili density, providing mechanistic insights into ENMs' ecological impacts.
Climate Change and Children’s Health: Building a Healthy Future for Every Child
PEDIATRICS · 2024-02-20 · 69 citations
articleObserved changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level, and extreme weather are destabilizing major determinants of human health. Children are at higher risk of climate-related health burdens than adults because of their unique behavior patterns; developing organ systems and physiology; greater exposure to air, food, and water contaminants per unit of body weight; and dependence on caregivers. Climate change harms children through numerous pathways, including air pollution, heat exposure, floods and hurricanes, food insecurity and nutrition, changing epidemiology of infections, and mental health harms. As the planet continues to warm, climate change's impacts will worsen, threatening to define the health and welfare of children at every stage of their lives. Children who already bear higher burden of disease because of living in low-wealth households and communities, lack of access to high quality education, and experiencing racism and other forms of unjust discrimination bear greater risk of suffering from climate change hazards. Climate change solutions, advanced through collaborative work of pediatricians, health systems, communities, corporations, and governments lead to immediate gains in child health and equity and build a foundation for generations of children to thrive. This technical report reviews the nature of climate change and its associated child health effects and supports the recommendations in the accompanying policy statement on climate change and children's health.
Climate Change and Children’s Health: Building a Healthy Future for Every Child
PEDIATRICS · 2024-02-20 · 32 citations
articleThe warming of our planet matters to every child. Driven by fossil fuel-generated greenhouse gas emissions, climate conditions stable since the founding of modern pediatrics in the mid-nineteenth century have shifted, and old certainties are falling away. Children's physical and mental health are threatened by climate change through its effects on temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather; ecological disruption; and community disruption. These impacts expose and amplify existing inequities and create unprecedented intergenerational injustice. Fossil fuel extraction and combustion cause harm today and reach centuries into the future, jeopardizing the health, safety, and prosperity of today's children and future generations. Appreciating the unique vulnerability of their patients, pediatricians have become leading health advocates for climate actions necessary to protect all living and future children. Policies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote cleaner air, facilitate walking and bicycling, encourage more sustainable diets, increase access to nature, and develop more connected communities lead to immediate gains in child health and equity, and build a foundation for generations of children to thrive.
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01
preprintOpen accessSenior authorWater Research · 2024-06-26 · 18 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingRSC Sustainability · 2024-01-01 · 5 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingSalt and pH can be used to modify the shape of lignin nanoparticles. The shape influences the antioxidant capacity.
Neural Computing and Applications · 2024-01-10 · 7 citations
article2024-10-30
reportOpen accessSenior authorThe “Direct Air Capture Recovery of Energy for CCUS Partnership (DAC RECO2UP)” project employs a team approach and supports the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (DOE-FECM) goal to decrease the cost of capture through the testing of existing direct air capture (DAC) materials in integrated field units that produce a concentrated carbon dioxide (CO2) stream of at least 95% purity. Solid-amine CO2 adsorption-desorption contactor technology, proven in the laboratory, is undergoing high-fidelity design/validation. Recoverable energy is readily available from a large number of commercial locations where DAC can be deployed; therefore, advancing the fidelity of energy recovery to directly reduce the cost of DAC is a key project objective. In addition, many commercial facilities have low-concentration CO2 vents that are uneconomical to treat alone but could provide more efficient mass and thermal transport to DAC systems with integrated energy recovery and flexible CO2 treatment capabilities. Technology scale-up leverages past research and occurs in a commercially relevant environment at the National Carbon Capture Center. Prescreening techno-economic analysis, risk assessments, and life cycle analysis are being performed by experienced team members. Results of the project will address critical technical barriers that, when solved, will improve the capital and operating costs of DAC while validating commercial relevance of cost and product quality/need.
Recent grants
NSF · $292k · 2007–2011
NSF · $402k · 2008–2012
SusChEM: Using theory-driven design to tailor novel nanocomposite oxides for solar fuel production
NSF · $550k · 2014–2018
NSF · $2.1M · 2019–2025
NSF · $358k · 2011–2016
Frequent coauthors
- 32 shared
Baiju Kizhakkekilikoodayil Vijayan
- 32 shared
Nada M. Dimitrijević
- 28 shared
Prashant V. Kamat
University of Notre Dame
- 25 shared
Tijana Rajh
Arizona State University
- 21 shared
Gonghu Li
University of New Hampshire
- 18 shared
Jean‐François Gaillard
- 16 shared
Philip J. Landrigan
Scientific Centre of Monaco
- 15 shared
Alan D. Woolf
Boston Children's Hospital
Labs
Gray Research GroupPI
Awards & honors
- Fellow of Civil and Environmental Engineering (by courtesy)
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