Research Interests
Membrane processes, nanostructured materials, transport and fate of nanomaterials in the environment, colloidal and interfacial processes, and environmental systems analysis
Bio
Wiesner's research interests include membrane processes, nanostructured materials, transport and fate of nanomaterials in the environment, nano plastics, colloidal and interfacial processes, and environmental systems analysis.
Education
- B.A. Coe College, 1978
- M.S. University of Iowa, 1980
- Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, 1985
- Suez (France), 1987
- Rice University, 2006
- Rice University, 2001
- Aix-Marseille University (France), 2000
- Rice University, 2005
- Université Paul Sabatier (France), 2007
- University of Vienna (Austria), 2019
- Université de Rennes (France), 2029
Positions
- James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences
- Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering. National Academy of Engineering. 2015
- Fellow. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. 2015
- Highly Cited Researcher 2015-2023. Clarivate Analytics/ Web of Science. 2015
- Clarke Water Prize. National Water Research Institute. 2011
- Fellow. International Water Association. 2011
- AAAS Fellows. American Association for the Advancement of Science, The. 2009
- Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award. Duke University. 2009
- Fellow. American Society of Civil Engineers,. 2009
- Honorary Professor. Nankai University, Tianjin, China. 2007
- Frontiers in Research Award. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. 2004
- Pierre de Fermat Lauréat and Chair of Excellence. L’Institut National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France. 2004
- Charles Duncan Award for Scholarship and Teaching. Rice University. 1998
- Rudolph Hering Medal. American Society of Civil Engineers. 1995
- Rudolph Hering Medal. Environmental Engineering Division, ASCE. 1995
- J.J. Barr Award. National Association of Water Companies. 1985
- Member. Phi Beta Kappa. 1978
- Undergraduate Investigator. National Science Foundation. 1978
Courses Taught
- CEE 692: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 691: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 564: Physical Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering
- CEE 560: Environmental Transport Phenomena
In the News
- Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here’s What Duke Research Is Doing About Health Concerns (Jun 18, 2025 | Duke Today)
- Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List? (Nov 16, 2023 | Duke Research Blog)
- Modeling a ‘River of Plastic’ (Dec 9, 2022 | Pratt School of Engineering)
- Global List of Highly Cited Puts Duke in Top Ten (Nov 19, 2019)
- Duke Faculty Plentiful On ‘Highly Cited’ List (Nov 27, 2018 | Duke Today)
- Energy Initiative Awards Seven New Seed Grants (Apr 28, 2017)
- When Art Tackles the Invisibly Small (Dec 12, 2016 | Duke Research Blog)
- Mark Wiesner comments: Silver too small to see, but everywhere you look (May 28, 2014 | The New York Times)
- Duke goes small to make big breakthroughs with $15M grant (Nov 13, 2013 | Triangle Business Journal)
Representative Publications
- Urper-Bayram, G. M., N. Bossa, and M. R. Wiesner. “Life cycle considerations for membrane fabrication: Linking polymer–solvent selection to plastic persistence and end-of-life trade-offs (Accepted).” Journal of Membrane Science 754 (July 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2026.125692.
- Schmidt, Patrizia Marie, Omar Tantawi, Katherine Santizo, Joana Sipe, Mark Wiesner, Sam Harrison, Claus Svendsen, Desirée L. Plata, and Wendel Wohlleben. “Abiotic Hydrolysis of Microplastics: Influence of Polymer Chain Scission on Particle Fragmentation and Dissolved Organic Carbon Release.” Environmental Science & Technology 60, no. 17 (May 2026): 13109–22. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c17195.
- Xing, Bobo, Qingqing Xue, Xian Li, Nigel J. D. Graham, Hengzhong Zhang, Mark R. Wiesner, and Wenzheng Yu. “Photocontrol of Goethite Crystal Facet Exposure: Implications for Phosphate Binding in Water and Sediment Systems.” Environmental Science & Technology 60, no. 17 (May 2026): 13138–53. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c01770.
- Talma, Kobi, Joana Sipe, Nathan Bossa, William Stiffler, Evan Hankinson, Claudia Gunsch, and Mark Wiesner. “Material matters: a framework for integrating surface properties into built environment microbiome research.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology 92, no. 3 (March 2026): e0203625. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02036-25.
- Choi, J., J. Lee, H. Yun, S. Kim, M. Wiesner, and C. Park. “Micro- and nanoplastics in laundry wastewater: Capture, recovery, and upcycling toward circular valorization.” Chemical Engineering Journal 530 (February 15, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173633.