Manuel D. Montaño

Upon completion of my PhD, I still felt there was more to learn and desired to expand my toolbox of analytical techniques. Working with Prof. Lee Ferguson at Duke University, I focused on how nanomaterials may potentially influence and interact with contaminants such as polymer additives and plasticizers that are present in nano-enabled plastics. I also used this time to further evaluate and understand methods for detecting and characterizing carbonaceous nanomaterials in sediments. I was then offered an opportunity to work on a unique and exciting piece of instrumentation in Vienna, Austria with Dr. Frank von der Kammer. Using an inductively coupled plasma-time-of-flight-mass spectrometer I expanded on the work I started in my PhD, expanding the scope of nanomaterial analysis in environmental systems to also examine natural nanogeochemical processes. 

At Western I aim to utilize my experience in analytical chemistry, geochemistry, and colloid science to better understand nanogeochemical processes and how they impact and are impacted by the changing environment. The work I do includes method development, but also the application of these methods to resolve chemistry occurring at nano- and microscale and how these processes affect the fate and transport of contaminants and nutrients.

Huxley College of the Environment, Environmental Sciences

Campus phone: (360) 650-2147

Campus address: AH458, MS9181