Addrita Haque is pursuing her Ph.D. in Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE, formerly known as Environmental and Ecological Engineering or EEE) at Purdue University. She completed her B.S. in Water Resources Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in May 2022 and her M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University in August 2024. Currently, Addrita's work focuses working on biofilm detachment within drinking water systems. 

In her free time, Addrita may pick up her canvas and paint a landscape!

Joshua Andrew Mariani is pursuing his M.S. in Biological Engineering at Purdue University, where he also earned his B.S. in May 2025. As an undergraduate, he contributed to research on virus discovery and characterization. His current work in the Proctor Lab focuses on the long-term biological stability of biofilms in plumbing systems and strategies to prevent the growth of pathogenic microbes in these systems.

Outside of the lab, Josh serves as Vice President of Purdue’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Graduate Student Association. He enjoys hiking, reading, and watching reality television—and has even applied to be on Survivor twice.

Erick Joel Negrón Álvarez is pursuing his Ph.D. in Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE, formerly Environmental and Ecological Engineering or EEE) at Purdue University, where he is also affiliated with the Ecological Sciences and Engineering (ESE) interdisciplinary program. He earned his B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in 2022. Before beginning graduate studies, Erick worked as an Environmental Consultant and Project Manager in Puerto Rico, leading environmental assessment efforts to ensure compliance with local and federal regulations for both private and publicly funded projects. His current research in the Proctor Lab focuses on water systems, microbial water quality, biofilm dynamics, and pathogen exclusion within building plumbing systems.

In his free time, Erick enjoys sports, video games, and reading, as well as sharing science communication through his platform Let’s Talk Environment, Raitrú! Also, he currently serves as Vice President of the Student Association of Applied Microbiome Sciences (SAAMS).

PAMS Representative for The Proctor Lab: Erick J. Negrón Álvarez (enegrona@purdue.edu)

Adam Gelman is pursuing his PhD in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. His research centers around microbial communities in hydroponic systems and their impacts on plant health and productivity. His research integrates microbiology, plant science, and engineering to better understand plant-microbe interactions and support the development of more resilient and sustainable biosystems.

He earned his B.S. in Biology from Davidson College, where he assisted with research on ornithology and behavioral ecology. He earned his M.S. in Biosystems Engineering at The University of Arizona, where he investigated hydroponic crop growth in microbially inoculated lunar regolith simulant as part of efforts to develop bioregenerative life support systems for future space missions.

In his free time, Adam enjoys attending farmer’s markets, playing video games or Dungeons & Dragons with his friends, reading fantasy novels, and going for walks in the woods or around town.

Aliya is an Environmental & Ecological Engineering Ph.D. candidate investigating the chemical and microbial dynamics of drinking water quality within building plumbing infrastructure. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley where she participated in the nationwide research efforts investigating the water quality within buildings shutdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

In her free time, Aliya loves to backpack, rock climb, play board games, and hang out with her dog, Sadie. 

Jorge Del'Angel is pursuing a Ph.D. in Agricultural & Biological Engineering, with research centered on developing fertilizers from landfill leachate. He earned his B.S. in Biological & Agricultural Systems Engineering with a minor in Global Agriculture from Florida A&M University and M.S. in Civil Engineering at the joint Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, where his thesis focused on correlating landfill surface methane concentrations with total landfill methane emissions (flux). 

Jorge is actively involved in the Black Graduate Student Association, the Agricultural & Biological Engineering Graduate Student Association, and his church Acts 2 Fellowship amongst other organizations as well. Whenever Jorge is not in lab he enjoys grilling and cooking in general, being outdoors, and traveling to new places. 

Daniel Ceglio is pursuing his M.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) at Purdue University. He earned his B.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue in 2024, where he was a member of the Proctor Lab for three years. His current research uses 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data to explore and analyze the microbiome of drinking water in buildings and homes. Daniel also works part-time with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

When not doing schoolwork, Daniel enjoys watching basketball and going to the movies.

Emily Spicuzza is pursuing her M.S. in Ecological Sciences and Engineering (ESE) at Purdue University. She earned her B.S. in Soil and Water Sciences from Purdue in 2023. Her research focuses on biofilm development and water quality management in hydroponic systems, where plants are cultivated in nutrient-rich solutions.

Outside of research, Emily is an active member of Purdue’s Bowling Team and travels across the country to compete.

Steph Heffner is pursuing her M.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) at Purdue University. She received her B.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue, where she began research in the Whelton Lab studying the impacts of thermal degradation of plumbing materials on water quality and collecting water samples from houses and creeks in East Palestine, Ohio, after the train derailment and chemical spill. During her senior year, she began working on her Master’s thesis, co-advised by Dr. Whelton and Dr. Proctor, which focuses on water quality in stagnant plumbing systems with an emphasis on microbial communities and sulfur compounds. She also works part-time with the water services group at CDM Smith.

Outside of school, Steph enjoys rollerblading and playing pickleball.

Katie is a senior majoring in Biological Engineering with a concentration in Cellular and Biomolecular Engineering and a minor in Biotechnology. Her current research interests are detecting and disinfecting pathogenic amoebas in biofilm reactors for applications in plumbing systems. She has previously worked with the “Tentacles” plumbing system, studying the impacts of long-term system disuse on pipe wall biofilms. She is actively involved in the Women in Engineering Program at Purdue, where she serves as a mentor to first year engineering students and engages in outreach. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and playing volleyball. 

Lillian Maldia is a senior majoring in Humanitarian Engineering at Purdue University, with a concentration in drinking water quality. Her current research interests include microbial drinking water quality and well contamination, focusing on understanding and improving access to safe drinking water. She has contributed to projects analyzing microbial dynamics and quality assessment methods in groundwater systems.

Lillian participates in several organizations dedicated to service and engineering impact — she serves as the Rwanda Water Design Lead for Engineering Without Borders (Purdue Chapter) and as the Director of Communication for the National Chapter of the National Society of Interdisciplinary Engineering.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, skateboarding, listening to music, and drawing. She is passionate about ensuring equitable access to clean and safe drinking water for all communities.

Mallory Luse is a junior majoring in Biological Engineering with a concentration in Food Processing and a minor in Food Science. Her research focuses on developing innovative methods for biofilm analysis to enhance the safety and quality of hydroponic and drinking water systems. Mallory also serves as the Vice President of the Purdue Women’s Club Water Polo Team. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing intramural sports, showing dairy goats, and listening to music.

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