The College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing at Catholic University

Our faculty continue to make an impact beyond the classroom.

Dr. Jason Davison, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recently featured in a Scripps News article discussing the recent renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.

An expert in water resources and environmental engineering, Dr. Davison shared insights on the factors contributing to the Reflecting Pool algae bloom, the response by officials, and the implications for D.C.'s broader urban water systems.

Read the full article to learn how our faculty are contributing their expertise to important public conversations.

https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/after-multi-million-dollar-renovation-national-mall-reflecting-pool-awash-in-algae-and-controversy

After multi-million dollar renovation, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool awash in algae... and controversy The pool is flush with algae, the new coating is peeling and lawmakers have questions about the no-bid contracts behind the project

Powering the Future: Advancing Next-Generation Battery Technology

In May 2026, Binh Hoang earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering for his dissertation, titled “Improving the Interface of Sulfide Solid Electrolyte / Li Metal Anode and Revealing the Mechanisms of Conversion Iron (III) Fluoride Cathode.” His work was directed by Chuan-Fu Lin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Energy Materials Innovations (EMI) Laboratory.

Hoang’s research addresses one of the biggest challenges in energy storage: how to build safer, higher-capacity batteries that go beyond the limits of today’s lithium-ion technology. His work focuses on next-generation battery designs that pair lithium metal anodes with sulfide-based solid-state electrolytes—systems with the potential to dramatically increase energy density.

To improve battery stability and performance, he developed a durable protective layer that significantly extends the lifespan of lithium metal anodes and reduces failure risks. He also applied this innovation to solid-state battery systems, improving efficiency and enabling longer-lasting operation.

On the cathode side, Hoang investigated iron fluoride as a promising high-capacity material. Through precise fabrication and testing, he revealed how the redox reaction kinetics and dynamics are controlled by the evolving electrical resistivity of the materials upon phase separation and recombination through charge and discharge cycles.

Together, these findings provide new strategies to overcome critical barriers in battery design—bringing researchers closer to safer, longer-lasting, and more powerful energy storage solutions for applications ranging from consumer electronics to electric vehicles.

In May 2026, Mariana Jeunon Barros Ferreira earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Physics for her dissertation, titled “Understanding the 3He Variability in Solar Energetic Particle Events: From Acceleration at the Sun to Detection.” Her work was directed by Gangkai Poh, Ph.D.

Ferreira’s research focuses on how rare particles are accelerated by the Sun during solar energetic events, a process that remains poorly understood. By studying solar jets and the conditions in the Sun’s atmosphere, she investigates where and how these particles originate.

Using advanced imaging and data analysis techniques, she identified key plasma conditions linked to particle acceleration, providing new insight into the environments that produce these high-energy events.

Her work also contributed to the development and calibration of space-based instruments capable of detecting these particles, improving our ability to measure and study them in real time.

Together, these findings advance our understanding of solar activity and strengthen the tools scientists use to study space weather—helping improve predictions that can impact satellites, communications, and technology on Earth.

In May 2026, Abeer Albluwi earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science for her dissertation, titled “A Novel Emoji-Aware Computational Framework for Body-Shaming Detection in Gulf Arabic Social Media Discourse." Her dissertation advisor was Dominick Rizk, Ph.D.

Her dissertation addresses a critical limitation in today’s social media moderation systems: the inability of existing AI models to effectively detect culturally embedded, appearance-based abuse expressed through emojis, indirect language, sarcasm, and evolving online communication patterns in Arabic social media. Her research focuses on how harmful online content, such as body-shaming, is communicated in subtle, culturally specific ways across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In Gulf Arabic contexts, meaning is often conveyed through indirect language and emojis, making harmful content difficult for traditional AI systems to detect.

To address this challenge, Dr. Albluwi developed the first Gulf Arabic benchmark for body-shaming detection and introduced a novel emoji-aware artificial intelligence framework that models emojis as culturally grounded contextual signals rather than simple symbols or sentiment markers. By combining language and emoji context, her approach significantly improves the accuracy of identifying harmful content.

The results demonstrate that culturally aware AI models can outperform even large-scale systems when detecting nuanced forms of online harm. This work advances safer digital spaces by enabling more effective content moderation in underrepresented languages and communities.

Funded by King Abdulaziz University and supported by the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), her research advances the field of social cybersecurity by strengthening AI systems’ ability to identify harmful online behavior that often evades traditional moderation tools.

In addition to developing new detection methods, her research provides one of the first comprehensive evaluations of modern Large Language Models (LLMs) and Arabic AI systems for detecting appearance-based cyberbullying in Gulf Arabic social media, offering important insights into the strengths and limitations of current AI technologies in real-world online safety applications.

Her work contributes new datasets, computational frameworks, benchmarking resources, and evaluation methodologies that advance Arabic natural language processing, AI-driven online safety, and social cybersecurity research. By bridging cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and human-centered computing, her research helps build safer, more inclusive, and more resilient digital communities while addressing emerging challenges in online trust, safety, and platform security for Arabic-speaking populations worldwide.

Dr. Jason Davison, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, recently published his paper “Hydrological Analysis of the California Basin Model” in PLOS Water.

His research applies integrated hydrologic modeling to examine California’s declining water resources, highlighting how groundwater depletion affects evapotranspiration and overall water balance. The study also finds that current water use may be unsustainable without sufficient annual recharge, with model results closely aligning with satellite observations of groundwater loss.

🔗 Learn more below.

https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000535

https://engineering.catholic.edu/research-and-faculty/faculty-profiles/civil/davison-jason/index.html

Hydrological analysis of the California Basin Model California’s water resources are declining and recent droughts have only exaggerated the dire conditions. As rivers and surface water reserves run dry, water managers are forced to drill deeper wells, mining their precious groundwater resources. To better understand California’s water, we develo...

Catholic University HEP Group Advances Global Research at
U.S. CMS Annual Meeting

The High Energy Physics (HEP) Group within the Department of Physics recently represented Catholic University at the 2026 U.S. Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Annual Collaboration Meeting, hosted at the University of Maryland, College Park. The conference serves as a vital forum for researchers to discuss plans for upgrading the CMS detector, projected funding, and the latest analysis results from U.S. institutions working on the CMS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The event also offers a prime opportunity for U.S.-based researchers to connect and collaborate.

The Catholic University delegation was led by Dr. Aaron Dominguez—Executive Vice President, Provost, and Ordinary Professor of Physics—who is an expert in high-energy and particle physics. Associate Research Professors Dr. Rachel Bartek and Dr. Shin-Shan Eiko Yu also attended, both lending their expertise as lead session organizers.

Additionally, several postdoctoral researchers and students from the Department of Physics joined the delegation to showcase the University's next generation of scientific research. Dr. Ali Eren Simsek delivered two talks: one detailing the HEP Group’s "Tracker Forward Pixel Detector" project and another reporting on the Fermilab Users & Affiliates Executive Committee. Meanwhile, Dr. Bisnupriya Sahu, along with graduate and undergraduate students, presented research posters on advanced data analysis, the group's ongoing search for new fundamental particles, and the technical assembly of advanced detector components. The presentations provided valuable opportunities for students and researchers to share their work, engage with other experts in the field, and strengthen collaborative connections within the CMS community.

Beyond the technical presentations, attendees participated in a session led by the CMS experiment management team, an artificial intelligence in (AI) hands-on workshop, and a popular alumni career panel exploring professional paths outside of academia.

The College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing is proud to recognize the continued contributions of its researchers to high-energy and particle physics and their commitment to the international collaborations that drive scientific discovery and innovation.

Advancing the Science Behind Electronic Materials

In May 2026, Helen McDonough earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology for her dissertation, titled “Semi-classical Monte Carlo Charge Transport: An Investigation of Simulation Techniques.” Her work was directed by Nicholas Mecholsky, Ph.D.

McDonough’s research focuses on how electrons move through materials like silicon, a fundamental process that underpins modern electronics. While powerful simulation methods exist, many have been set aside due to their complexity and computational demands.

To address this, she revisited and improved a Monte Carlo simulation approach, developing a new computational framework to better model charge transport. Along the way, she identified errors in earlier models and refined key equations, improving the accuracy of these simulations.

Her results closely matched experimental data, demonstrating the method’s potential for predicting electronic behavior in materials, especially in silicon which is extensively used in current microelectronics. This work helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world performance.

These findings support the development of more accurate and efficient tools for designing next-generation electronic devices.

Securing a $596K NIH grant to revolutionize healthcare 🧬

Exciting news from our Department of Mechanical Engineering! Dr. Xiaolong Luo and Dr. Zhaoyang Wang—in collaboration with Dr. John Choy from the Department of Biology—have been awarded a $596,250 NIH grant to pioneer a rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (AST) platform.

By tracking bacterial movement in real time inside engineered microdevices, this interdisciplinary research aims to slash antibiotic testing times from days to just 30 minutes.

This breakthrough technology could revolutionize treatment for acute bacterial infections like sepsis—which accounts for 1 in 3 hospital deaths nationwide—by allowing physicians to prescribe individually optimized, targeted treatments almost instantly.

Beyond the clinical impact, this prestigious three-year award will also provide hands-on frontier research opportunities and access to emerging technologies for our undergraduate and graduate students.

Read the full story here: https://engineering.catholic.edu/news-and-events/2026/06/mechanical-engineering-faculty-receive-nih-and-ithc-grants-for-sepsis-research.html

In May 2026, Rayan Alzahrani earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Civil Engineering for his dissertation, titled “Predicting the Impact of Stormwater Control Measures on Reducing Sediment Outflow in Hickey Run, Washington, D.C.” His work was directed by Arash Massoudieh, Ph.D., P.E., Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Alzahrani’s research focuses on how urban stormwater systems carry sediment and pollutants through highly developed environments. In cities like Washington, D.C., traditional drainage systems move water—and sediment—quickly, making it difficult to control pollution using conventional methods.

To address this, he developed a process-based modeling framework to better understand how stormwater control measures, such as storage systems, can reduce sediment runoff. His work isolates sediment behavior from other variables, allowing for a clearer picture of how these systems perform.

The results show that while storage-based solutions can significantly reduce sediment pollution, their effectiveness is not linear—with diminishing returns at higher levels of implementation. These insights help engineers design more efficient and targeted strategies for improving urban water quality.

This research supports smarter, more sustainable stormwater management in cities, helping protect waterways and improve environmental health.

We are proud to recognize Melissa Kane and Carina Alden, students in the Applied Space Weather Research (ASWR) master’s program within the College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing, for their contributions to NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M SWAO).

As full-time space weather analysts, Melissa and Carina supported NASA’s Artemis II mission through operational space weather analysis, data acquisition, and space weather modeling efforts that help safeguard human spaceflight missions.

Their work directly supports NASA’s continued efforts in lunar exploration and future missions to Mars, demonstrating the critical role of engineering, applied physics, and space weather science in modern aerospace operations.

Through the ASWR program, directed by Dr. Vadim Uritsky, these students have gained advanced knowledge in heliophysics, atmospheric science, and space weather forecasting while contributing to real-world research and mission operations.

We congratulate Melissa and Carina on their outstanding achievement and are proud to see our students contributing to the future of space exploration.

Read the full article below to learn more about their work with NASA: https://engineering.catholic.edu/news-and-events/2026/05/cepc-students-support-nasas-artemis-ii-mission.html