Rawan Abu Alwan
Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BA American University of Sharjah; MA Khalifa University; PhD New York University
Research Websites: Water Research Center
Research Areas: Electrochemical water treatment; Desalination; Resource recovery; Selective ion separation; Environmental electrochemistry; Sustainable water technologies; Wastewater treatment; Circular water systems; Green engineering and chemistry
Rawan Abu Alwan is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Her doctoral research, conducted at the Water Research Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, focuses on developing next-generation electrochemical technologies for sustainable water treatment and resource recovery. Her work investigates how electrochemical processes can be designed and engineered to selectively separate, recover, and valorize critical resources from complex water streams, with particular emphasis on improving process efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability. By integrating principles of chemical engineering, electrochemistry, and environmental engineering, her research aims to advance water treatment beyond contaminant removal toward circular systems that simultaneously recover valuable resources and reduce the energy and environmental footprint of conventional treatment processes.
Abu Alwan earned an MSc in Water and Environmental Engineering from Khalifa University in 2022 and a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah in 2020. Following her master's degree, she worked for one year as a Research Associate at Khalifa University, where she further developed her expertise in water and environmental research before beginning her doctoral studies.
Abu Alwan is committed to research that translates fundamental scientific understanding into solutions with meaningful environmental and societal impact. Her long-term research interests center on advancing sustainable water technologies, circular resource use, and engineering approaches that contribute to a more resilient and resource-efficient future.