This Monday, on 09/29/2025, our group had the pleasure of attending a stimulating seminar by Dr. Ngai Yin Yip, La Von Duddleson Krumb Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, hosted by the Otto H. York Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at NJIT.
Dr. Yip delivered an inspiring talk, “Switching Up the Desalination Paradigm with Thermomorphic Hydrophilicity Solvents”, sharing groundbreaking insights into temperature swing solvent extraction (TSSE) for high-salinity desalination, zero-liquid discharge, and sustainable water recovery. His innovative work on switchable solvents illustrates how fundamental chemistry can open entirely new pathways for addressing global water challenges.
Before the seminar, our group welcomed Dr. Yip for a lab tour, where we exchanged ideas on membrane processes, nanobubble technologies, and advanced interfacial heating strategies for water treatment and resource recovery. The discussions sparked exciting opportunities for future collaboration and highlighted the strong synergy between our research directions.
We are grateful to Dr. Yip for visiting NJIT, engaging with our students and researchers, and sharing his vision for advancing separation science at the water-energy nexus.
Events like this remind us of the importance of cross-institutional dialogue in accelerating innovation for sustainable water solutions.