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
- Membership, 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
- Fellow. International Water Association. 2011
- Clarke Water Prize. National Water Research Institute. 2011
- AAAS Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2009
- Fellow. American Society of Civil Engineers,. 2009
- Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award. Duke University. 2009
- Honorary Professor. Nankai University, Tianjin, China. 2007
- Pierre de Fermat Lauréat and Chair of Excellence. L’Institut National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France. 2004
- Frontiers in Research Award. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. 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
- Undergraduate Investigator. National Science Foundation. 1978
- Member. Phi Beta Kappa. 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)
- Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List? (Nov 16, 2023)
- 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 11, 2016)
- Four Pratt Faculty Listed Among Most Highly Cited (Jan 26, 2016)
- 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
- El Kharraf, Aicha, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Mark Wiesner, Daria Gudz, Françoise Binet, Dominique Bavay, Hervé Tabuteau, and Melanie Davranche. “Plastic Airprint: The Atmospheric and Environmental Cost of Polyethylene Plastic Degradation.” Environmental Science & Technology 60, no. 30 (August 2026): 21180–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c08594.
- 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.” Journal of Membrane Science 754 (July 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2026.125692.
- Livieri, A., J. L. Doherty, B. N. Smith, G. M. Urper Bayram, A. D. Franklin, M. R. Wiesner, L. Pizzol, and D. Hristozov. “Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of nano-enabled all-carbon recyclable electronic (ACRE) materials.” Rsc Sustainability 4, no. 7 (July 1, 2026): 3024–39. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5su00815h.
- Gao, Lijia, Amalia Turner, Nathan Bossa, Heileen Hsu-Kim, and Mark Wiesner. “Evaluation of the Affinity of a Nanocarbon-Based Product for Soils in Agricultural Applications.” Environmental Science & Technology 60, no. 22 (June 2026): 16225–34. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c04741.
- El Kharraf, Aicha, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Ana Pradas Del Real, Christophe Sandt, Jean-Pierre Guin, Delphine Vantelon, Mark Wiesner, Lionel Dutruch, and Melanie Davranche. “Microwave-activated oxidation to replicate polyethylene plastic environmental fragmentation and contaminant release pathways.” Water Research 304 (June 2026): 126333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2026.126333.