We are proud to announce that Xingyu Wang, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Connecticut School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 CAPEES-Elsevier Best Doctorate Dissertation Award. This prestigious honor, presented by the Chinese-American Professors in Environmental Engineering and Science (CAPEES) in partnership with Elsevier, recognizes two outstanding doctoral dissertations in the field of environmental engineering or science in the U.S.

CAPEES is the largest academic association of Chinese environmental engineering and science scholars in North America. Established in 2007, the organization is dedicated to promoting knowledge exchange, fostering professional growth, and supporting environmental engineering innovations that benefit society.

Dr. Wang’s award-winning dissertation focuses on innovative methods to recover valuable resources from wastewater, contributing to both environmental protection and climate change mitigation. His research combines electrochemistry, membrane development, and advanced modeling to create efficient systems for carbon and metal recovery. Notably, his work achieved:

• Enhanced electrode surfaces for more selective reactions, including CO₂ conversion to methane.

• Improved membranes that increased proton movement efficiency by over 20 times, enabling better fuel production.

• Smart, AI-integrated models for real-time control of electrochemical systems, with predictive accuracy up to 99% for biogas production.

These advancements pave the way for smarter wastewater treatment and carbon-neutral industrial practices. Dr. Wang’s research has been supported by the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation and exemplifies interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in environmental engineering.

For more information about CAPEES and this award, visit CAPEES Dissertation Award.