Our team

Matthew Scarborough, P.E., Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Matt was born and raised in rural western Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering (Environmental Option) from the University of Wyoming where he worked with Dr. David Bagely on production of hydrogen gas with mixed microbial communities. Matt then worked for a large environmental engineering consulting firm for 7 years where he studied, modeled, designed, and constructed wastewater treatment facilities. He also dabbled in stream restoration, drinking water treatment, and conveyance. Matt earned his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 2019 where he was advised by Dr. Daniel Noguera and Dr. Timothy Donohue at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Matt has been a licensed Professional Engineer (Civil Engineering) since 2013. 

Lucy Toppen,  Ph.D. Student

Lucy grew up in West Michigan and graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University in Spring of 2022. Lucy joins the EMERG team as Ph.D. student and GAANN fellow working on medium-chain carboxylic acid production from waste products via amino acid fermentation. Lucy’s undergraduate research focused on applying environmental engineering tools for the health of the public including Sars-CoV-2 virus detection in on-campus wastewater and open-source toxicity analysis for alternative food sources. Lucy is excited to expand her computational skills to uncover ways waste can benefit human populations.  

Mona Davoudimehr,  Ph.D. Student

Mona's research is focused on the production of propane from agricultural waste, particularly cow manure. She is originally from Iran, where she pursued her undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering at Khayyam University and earned her master’s degree in civil and environmental Engineering from Shahrood University of Technology. During her master's program, she conducted research on the impact of micro-nano bubble technology on wastewater treatment. Additionally, Mona is interested in data visualization and incorporates data science techniques into her research. 

Amelia McClure, M.S. Student

Amelia is a Civil and Environmental Engineering Master’s student interested in optimizing biological phosphorous removal from municipal wastewater treatment processes. She will be investigating this process at the Burlington Main Wastewater Treatment Plant, where she works as a wastewater operator. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology and Environmental Science from Wellesley College, where she completed research on plant associated microbial communities in a permafrost thaw zone. Outside of work and school, she enjoys swimming in the Winooski River watershed and playing in Burlington's Brazilian samba drumming band. 

Neha Subedi, M.S. Student

Neha is from Kathmandu, Nepal and is currently enrolled in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program at University of Vermont. For her master's thesis, she is conducting research on development of methods for determining deleterious material content in process glass aggregate, focused on plastic content. Her major interest lies in helping developing countries solve their waste problems. Neha's primary interest is converting waste into an asset. In her spare time, she loves to read and travel.

Hannah Kuleba, M.S. Student

Hannah is from Mullica Hill, NJ and is studying Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont. She is currently pursuing an Accelerated Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering and her research will focus on how copper concentrations impact methane oxidation and how concentrations of all nitrogen species change during methane oxidation in landfill cover soil. She interned with the Dam Safety Program during summer of 2023 in Montpelier, VT where she went on dam inspections, wrote inspection reports, and experienced the July 10 flood impacts firsthand. Outside of work and school, she enjoys playing soccer, skiing, traveling, singing, songwriting and playing piano. 

Maura Duval, M.S. Student

Maura is from Underhill, VT and is currently pursuing an Accelerated Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research will focus on biochar made from spent mushroom substrate. Maura’s major interest is in researching fungi based environmental remediation methods. In her free time Maura enjoys traveling, hiking, and sailing.

Jacob McCoy

Jacob grew up in East Montpelier, Vermont and is studying Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont. He is studying the fermentation of amino acids and their effectiveness in producing Medium Chain Fatty Acids. Jacob is interested in renewable energy and sustainable development. In his free time, he enjoys sports such as basketball, ultimate frisbee, and rock climbing.

Agusten Hoen 

Agusten Hoen was raised in Hudson Valley, New York. He is studying engineering at a broad scale with an additional minor in Accounting at the University of Vermont. His research stemmed from the Richard Barret scholar summer program and has continued through the academic year. The work consists of geotechnical tests and material analysis to answer the question: Can processed glass aggregate be a substitute for sand borrow? Agusten is passionate about mindfulness and yoga, loves long-distance running and biking, and often finds himself cooking in most of his free time.

Lauren Santanen

Lauren is from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and is studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in English. She spent a semester abroad at the University of Leeds, which allowed for a deeper understanding of the ways engineered systems are adapted to best fit the needs of the community. She is interested in sustainable design and in her free time likes to read, take pictures, and play with her dog.