Zhiyong "Jason" Ren

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment, Associate Director for Research at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Research interests: Water-energy nexus and energy and resource recovery during waste treatment processes.

A structure of metal girders crossing a pond at a sewer plant — Photo by iStock

Many nations underestimate greenhouse emissions from wastewater systems, but the lapse is fixable

A man in a lab coat and safety glasses operates a machine in a laboratory involving bottles of clear liquid and tubing.

Dirty water boosts prospects for clean hydrogen

Man stands in front of an electric vehicle at a charging station with cooling towers in the distance — Researchers from Princeton engineering, shown during a stop in Pennsylvania, measured emissions from plants across the country. Photo by Nathan Li

Wastewater plants produce twice as much greenhouse gas as estimated

From research to real-world, Princeton startup tackles soaring demand for lithium and other critical minerals

Workers in hard hats and protective gear crouch working around a drum of green liquid — The Princeton PureLi team works with partners in the salt flats of the Atacama desert in Chile to improve lithium production from brine. Photo courtesy of Z. Jason Ren

How water innovation could be key to a sustainable economy

A palm-sized octopus figurine made of hydrogel — Princeton researchers have developed a new type of recyclable hydrogel that can be cut and molded into different forms. Photos by Dan Komoda

Reusable and recyclable, this new hydrogel squishes the old version’s environmental impact

Three students look closely at a model of an architectural structure.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Fundamental insights into the built and natural environments, and interactions between the two

Faculty member, seated at end of row of colleagues, leads panel discussion.

Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Decarbonizing the world while increasing energy access worldwide