Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz
Kandis Leslie Gillard-AbdulAziz | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Temple University; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Occupation(s) | Chemical and environmental engineer, academic |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Employer | University of Southern California |
| Known for | Technologies converting agricultural residues into water purification solutions; sustainable catalysis and materials research |
| Notable work | Research on catalytic conversion of waste feedstocks; carbon capture integrated methanation processes |
Dr. Kandis Leslie Gillard-AbdulAziz is an American expert in chemical and environmental engineering, acclaimed for creating technologies that transform agricultural residues into water purification solutions. During her tenure at the University of California, Riverside, she held the position of assistant professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering.[1][2] Prior to her appointment at the University of Southern California, she led the Sustainable Lab, a research center dedicated to converting waste materials into innovative products with social impact.[3][2]
Career and research
After completing her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Temple University in 2007,[2][4] Gillard-AbdulAziz gained experience analyzing refinery wastewater and evaluating refined petroleum products near the Schuylkill River in South Philadelphia.[4][2] Between 2009 and 2011, she worked as a forensic science refinery chemist at Sunoco Chemicals.[2][5] While pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, she established Nardo Technology in 2016, a startup inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci.[4] In 2017, she was appointed as a Provost postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.[6] Upon earning her doctorate, she joined the University of California, Riverside faculty as an assistant professor in 2018.[2] In 2020, she was awarded a $30,000 Hellman Fellowship to advance her research on technologies that repurpose expandable plastic waste.[7] That same year, she contributed to a publication focused on converting lignin into fuel sources.[8]
Highlighted in Popular Science's "The Brilliant 10" list in 2022,[9] Gillard-AbdulAziz’s work specializes in converting agricultural residues such as corn stover and citrus peels into activated carbon filters aimed at environmental remediation.[9] Additionally, she develops sorbent materials designed to capture and recycle carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to scalable recycling strategies within a sustainable circular economy framework.[9]
Currently, she holds the Pasqual and Adelina Early Career Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California,[3] where she directs the Sustainable Catalysis and Materials Laboratory. Her investigations focus on catalytic conversion of waste feedstocks—including carbon dioxide, citrus waste, and plastics—into valuable commodities.[3] In recognition of her contributions, she received the 2024 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry,[3] supporting her efforts to develop recyclable materials and reduce climate change impacts through innovative reuse methods that balance sustainability with economic feasibility for industry stakeholders and policymakers.[3]
Beyond her scientific pursuits, Gillard-AbdulAziz is an advocate for inclusive STEM education. She partners with academic organizations, federal entities, and sustainability groups to provide guidance on carbon upcycling technologies and waste valorization strategies.[10] She spearheads programs aimed at enhancing diversity by increasing participation of women and underrepresented minorities within environmental engineering and catalysis research fields.[10]
Her pioneering work in sustainable catalysis has garnered notable accolades. In 2021, she secured a $538,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support research on transforming greenhouse gases into energy chemicals while at UC Riverside.[11] Her research advances low-carbon chemical manufacturing by developing carbon capture integrated methanation processes that enhance CO2 conversion efficiency and sustainability.[12]
The NSF CAREER Award also facilitates her initiatives to broaden sustainability-focused research opportunities for women through graduate preparation workshops, undergraduate research experiences, and STEM engagement activities targeting girls from kindergarten through high school.[13]
She currently serves as WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California.[14]
Honors
- 2024 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
- 2023 Early Career Award from the Department of Energy (Materials Chemistry)
- 2022 National Science Foundation CAREER Award (CBET - Catalysis)
References
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:2 - ↑ "Prof. Gilliard-AbdulAziz". Sustainable Catalysis and Materials Group. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "Prof. Gilliard-AbdulAziz". Sustainable Catalysis and Materials Group. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz receives Hellman Fellowship | Inside UCR | UC Riverside". insideucr.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ↑ Gale, Mark; Cai, Charles M.; Gilliard‐Abdul‐Aziz, Kandis Leslie (2020-04-21). "Heterogeneous Catalyst Design Principles for the Conversion of Lignin into High‐Value Commodity Fuels and Chemicals". ChemSusChem. 13 (8): 1947–1966.
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13. "Professor Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz, Recipient of the Young Investigator Award – Materials Science in Extreme Environments." *University Research Alliance on Materials Science in Extreme Environments*, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute 14. Abdul-Aziz, Kandis Leslie. "Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz." *University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering*, 26 February 2024
- Living people
- Temple University alumni
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
- University of California, Riverside faculty
- University of Southern California faculty
- 21st-century African-American academics
- 21st-century American academics
- 21st-century African-American scientists
- 21st-century African-American women
- American environmental engineers
- African-American chemists
- 21st-century American chemists
- American women chemical engineers
- 20th-century births
- American chemical engineers
- African-American women scientists