Dr. Rockne is searching for highly motivated masters, doctoral students, and post doctoral scientists interested in cutting-edge inter-disciplinary environmental engineering research focusing on all aspects involved in the biological degradation of toxic pollutants.
If you are interested in joining a dynamic research environment at the forefront of biological degradation research, please contact Dr. Rockne at krockne@uic.edu.  All graduate students must be admitted into graduate study at UIC.  To receive an application for graduate research at the Department of Civil Engineering at UIC, contact mcnallen@uic.edu or see the CME graduate program homepage.  Full funding is available for all qualified students and post-doctoral scientists.  Please contact Dr. Rockne for further information.

Some examples of current research topics in Dr. Rockne’s lab are:

• Soot deposition to the Great Lakes
• Soot as vector for hazardous airborne pollutant transport in air
• Environmental impacts of traffic pattern decisions
• Anaerobic biodegradation processes in sediments
• Biodegradation of individual components in complex contaminant mixtures
• Phytoremediation/stabilization of dredged sediments/impacts on PCB volatilization
• Complex biological interactions in the biodegradation of organic matter by bacteria
• Novel in situ biological treatment scenarios for sediment bioremediation (with potential patent applications)
• Mass transfer limitations to bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments and soils
• Diffusive flux release of inorganic pollutants from soils, sediments, and concrete