Grants per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Professor Gray's areas of expertise are environmental catalysis and physicochemical processes in natural and engineered environmental systems with particular focus on energy and urban sustainability applications. She studies the synthesis, characterization and performance of photo-active materials, principally TiO2-based nanocomposites for solar fuel production, resource recovery and water/air treatment. Work in her group also involves the investigation of chemical fate in natural systems. She probes the role of periphyton (algal biofilms) in contaminant accumulation in stream sediments and in denitrification in wetlands. She studies the ways in which detailed understanding of ecological relationships (periphyton structure, dynamic food web descriptions) improves our ability to predict chemical transfer (bioaccumulation) in aquatic systems and ultimately human health risks. Application of this research is important in efforts to restore critical ecosystems (Great Lakes), to make ecological forecasts in the face of climate change and to employ ecosystem function for environmental protection (treatment wetlands). She is also studying the unintended ecotoxicological impacts of nanomaterial mixtures in aquatic systems and under light illumination. Recent work entails the adaptive and resilient design of urban systems to incorporate coupled ecological processes in response to climate change and demographic shifts.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Geography and Environmental Engineering, PhD, Johns Hopkins University
… → 1988
Civil Engineering, MS, University of Miami
… → 1983
Biology, Minor Biochemistry, BA, Northwestern University
… → 1978
Research interests keywords
- Aquatic chemistry
- Catalysis
- Ecotoxicology
- Emissions treatment technologies
- Environmental chemistry
- Treatment technology
- Wetland biogeochemistry
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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HDR DSC: Collaborative Research: The Metropolitan Chicago Data Science Corps (MCDC): Learning from Data to Support Communities
van der Lee, S. (PD/PI), van der Lee, S. (PD/PI), van der Lee, S. (PD/PI), van der Lee, S. (PD/PI), Birkett, M. A. (Co-PD/PI), Birkett, M. A. (Co-PD/PI), Birkett, M. A. (Co-PD/PI), Birkett, M. A. (Co-PD/PI), Goldberg, B. B. (Co-PD/PI), Goldberg, B. B. (Co-PD/PI), Goldberg, B. B. (Co-PD/PI), Goldberg, B. B. (Co-PD/PI), Schanzenbach, D. W. (Co-PD/PI), Schanzenbach, D. W. (Co-PD/PI), Schanzenbach, D. W. (Co-PD/PI), Amaral, L. A. N. (Other), Amaral, L. A. N. (Other), Amaral, L. A. N. (Other), Amaral, L. A. N. (Other), Amato, K. R. (Other), Amato, K. R. (Other), Amato, K. R. (Other), Amato, K. R. (Other), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Other), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Other), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Other), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Other), Brown, C. H. (Other), Brown, C. H. (Other), Brown, C. H. (Other), Brown, C. H. (Other), Drane, D. L. (Other), Drane, D. L. (Other), Drane, D. L. (Other), Drane, D. L. (Other), Dunn, J. B. (Other), Dunn, J. B. (Other), Dunn, J. B. (Other), Dunn, J. B. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other), Hambleton, J. P. (Other), Hambleton, J. P. (Other), Hambleton, J. P. (Other), Hambleton, J. P. (Other), Hammond, K. J. (Other), Hammond, K. J. (Other), Hammond, K. J. (Other), Hammond, K. J. (Other), Hedges, L. V. (Other), Hedges, L. V. (Other), Hedges, L. V. (Other), Hedges, L. V. (Other), Horton, D. E. (Other), Horton, D. E. (Other), Horton, D. E. (Other), Horton, D. E. (Other), Kuyper, A. M. (Other), Kuyper, A. M. (Other), Kuyper, A. M. (Other), Kuyper, A. M. (Other), Linna Jr., D. W. (Other), Linna Jr., D. W. (Other), Linna Jr., D. W. (Other), Linna Jr., D. W. (Other), Miller, W. M. (Other), Miller, W. M. (Other), Miller, W. M. (Other), Miller, W. M. (Other), Packman, A. (Other), Packman, A. (Other), Packman, A. (Other), Packman, A. (Other), Pah, A. R. (Other), Pah, A. R. (Other), Pah, A. R. (Other), Pah, A. R. (Other), Papachristos, A. V. (Other), Papachristos, A. V. (Other), Papachristos, A. V. (Other), Papachristos, A. V. (Other), Phillips II, G. (Other), Phillips II, G. (Other), Phillips II, G. (Other), Phillips II, G. (Other), Rogers, J. M. (Other), Rogers, J. M. (Other), Rogers, J. M. (Other), Rogers, J. M. (Other), Van Wart, S. J. (Other), Van Wart, S. J. (Other), Van Wart, S. J. (Other), Van Wart, S. J. (Other), Voigt, R. (Other), Voigt, R. (Other), Voigt, R. (Other), Voigt, R. (Other), Wells, G. (Other), Wells, G. (Other), Wells, G. (Other), Wells, G. (Other), Youn, H. (Other), Youn, H. (Other), Youn, H. (Other) & Youn, H. (Other)
9/1/21 → 8/31/26
Project: Research project
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Designing Sustainable & Just Communities: Developing an undergraduate curriculum around innovation, climate action and social justice
Gray, K. A. (PD/PI), Gray, K. A. (PD/PI), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Co-PD/PI), Blomberg Stathopoulos, A. I. (Co-PD/PI), Buscarnera, G. (Co-Investigator), Buscarnera, G. (Co-Investigator), Corr, D. J. (Co-Investigator), Corr, D. J. (Co-Investigator), Cusatis, G. (Co-Investigator), Cusatis, G. (Co-Investigator), Durango-Cohen, P. L. (Co-Investigator), Durango-Cohen, P. L. (Co-Investigator), Hambleton, J. P. (Co-Investigator), Hambleton, J. P. (Co-Investigator), Rotta Loria, A. (Co-Investigator), Rotta Loria, A. (Co-Investigator), Wells, G. (Co-Investigator) & Wells, G. (Co-Investigator)
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, Inc.
6/30/21 → 6/30/25
Project: Research project
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LEAP-HI: Catalyzing Resilient Urban Infrastructure Systems: Integrating the Natural and Built Environments
Gray, K. A. (PD/PI), Gray, K. A. (PD/PI) & Gray, K. A. (PD/PI)
8/1/19 → 7/31/25
Project: Research project
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Northwestern University/Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS)
Katsaggelos, A. K. (PD/PI), Walton, M. S. (PD/PI), Luijten, E. (Co-Investigator), Cossairt, O. S. (Other), Dunand, D. C. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other), Olvera de la Cruz, M. (Other) & Shull, K. R. (Other)
9/1/18 → 8/31/25
Project: Research project
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PIRE: Computationally-Based Imaging of Structure in Materials (CuBISM)
Shull, K. R. (PD/PI), Cossairt, O. S. (Co-PD/PI), Katsaggelos, A. K. (Co-PD/PI), Walton, M. S. (Co-PD/PI), Broadbelt, L. J. (Other), Gray, K. A. (Other) & Van Duyne, R. P. (Other)
9/1/17 → 8/31/24
Project: Research project
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Making waves: Pioneering a nanoconfinement platform with mesoporous silica for sustainable water management and environmental applications
Lee, H., Fu, H. & Gray, K. A., Jul 15 2025, In: Water Research. 280, 123460.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A robust self-regenerating graphene-based adsorbent for pharmaceutical removal in various water environments
Fu, H., Gutierrez, L., Shewfelt, S., Xiong, Y. & Gray, K. A., Sep 1 2024, In: Water Research. 261, 121998.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
6 Scopus citations -
Engineered nanomaterials exert sublethal bacterial stress at very low doses: Effects of concentration, light, and media on cell membrane permeability
Wu, S., Wells, G. & Gray, K. A., Oct 20 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 948, 174861.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Graphene-encapsulated nanocomposites: Synthesis, environmental applications, and future prospects
Fu, H. & Gray, K. A., Dec 10 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 955, 176753.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
Novel physics informed-neural networks for estimation of hydraulic conductivity of green infrastructure as a performance metric by solving Richards–Richardson PDE
Elkhadrawi, M., Ng, C., Bain, D. J., Sargent, E. E., Stearsman, E. V., Gray, K. A. & Akcakaya, M., Apr 2024, In: Neural Computing and Applications. 36, 10, p. 5555-5569 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations
Datasets
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New insights into the deterioration of TiO2 based oil paints: the effects of illumination conditions and surface interactions
Schmitt, T. (Creator), Rosi, F. (Creator), Mosconi, E. (Creator), Shull, K. (Creator), Fantacci, S. (Creator), Miliani, C. (Creator) & Gray, K. (Creator), figshare, 2022
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6069732, https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/New_insights_into_the_deterioration_of_TiO2_based_oil_paints_the_effects_of_illumination_conditions_and_surface_interactions/6069732
Dataset
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Dataset for: Novel Physics Informed-Neural Networks for Estimation of Hydraulic Conductivity of Green Infrastructure as a Performance Metric by Solving Richards-Richardson PDE
Elkhadrawi, M. (Contributor), Bain, D. J. (Contributor), Gray, K. A. (Contributor) & Akcakaya, M. (Contributor), ZENODO, Jul 21 2023
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8173194, https://zenodo.org/records/8173194
Dataset