Franco Montalto P.E. Ph.D. | Civil/Environmental Engineer and Hydrologist
Dr. Montalto is a civil engineer interested in the development of ecologically, economically, and socially sensible solutions to urban environmental problems, with a focus on sustainable water resources engineering and climate change. His ~25 years of experience have included research and design of a variety of nature-based solutions involving ecological restoration of degraded landscapes, the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater and stormwater treatment, as well as work with “green infrastructure” and “low impact development” technologies as a means of managing urban runoff while promoting urban sustainability and resilience. He is currently a Full Professor at Drexel University, where he directs the Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Lab. He is also the Founder and President of eDesign Dynamics LLC, an environmental consulting firm based in New York City, with an international portfolio of projects. He is also a co-Investigator for the NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program-funded Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN), serves as the Director of the North American Hub of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), and in June of 2020 was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to serve as a Member of the 4th New York City Panel on Climate Change. Previously, he served as a Research Fellow at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and a Fulbright Scholar in Venice, Italy. His degrees are from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and Cornell University. Dr. Montalto is a licensed engineer in New York (#090284), Pennsylvania (#PE080773), New Jersey (#24GE05353000), Connecticut (#PEN.0030533), Florida (#90024), and Puerto Rico (#28178).
Current Research Scientists and Post Docs
 Dr. Bita Alizadehtazi | Senior Research ScientistContact: bita[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Tehran, Iran PhD: Environmental Engineering, Drexel University MS: Environmental Engineering, Drexel University BS: Shahid Beheshti University, Iran AS: Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran Research Interests: Green infrastructure design and low impact development, Sustainable water resources planning and management, Urban hydrology |
 Dr. Hasseb Payab | Research ScientistContact: ahp73[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Kabul, Afghanistan PhD: Civil Engineering (Specializing in Water Resources Management and Hydraulics), Eastern Mediterranean University MS: Civil Engineering (Specializing in Construction Technology and Management), Eastern Mediterranean University BS: Civil Engineering, Eastern Mediterranean University Research Interests: Sustainable water resources management, environmental management and conservation, climate change, water-food-energy nexus, hydrological and hydro-economic modeling, green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions. |
 Dr. Matina Shakya | Research ScientistContact: ms5584[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Lalitpur, Nepal PhD: Civil Engineering, Villanova University MS: Civil Engineering, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville B.Tech.: Environmental Engineering, Kathmandu University Research Interests: soil moisture, green stormwater infrastructure, stormwater management |
Current Doctoral Students
 Mobin Rahimi Golkhandan | PhD StudentContact: mr3596[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Mashhad, Iran M.Sc.: Environmental Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran B.Sc.: Civil Engineering, IAUM, Iran Research Interests: Sustainability, Water Resources Mangement, Data Analysis |
 Fatemeh Nasrollahi | PhD StudentContact: fn72[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Tehran, Iran MA: George Washington Univerisity, Washington D.C. MArch: Univeristy of Calgary, Calgary, Canada BArch: Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran Research Interests: Resilient urban environment, flood mitigation strategies, climate change scenarios |
 Nirajan Adhikari | PhD StudentContact: na943[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Kathmandu, Nepal MS: MS: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE)- Specialization in Water Resources Engineering BE: Civil Engineering, Kathmandu Engineering College, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal Research Interests: Hydrological and Hydraulic modeling and Watershed Analysis, Climate Change |
Current BS/MS Students
 Alyssa Kemp | BS/MS StudentContact: ak2846[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Cavalier, NC BS/MS: Environmental Engineering, Drexel University Research Interests: Climate resilient design, community-based participatory research, equitable climate policies, and urban planning |
 Samantha Seiden | BS/MS StudentContact: sps322[AT]drexel.edu Home City: Doylestown, PA BS/MS: Environmental Engineering Research Interests: Water resources, green stormwater infrastructure, climate resiliency, climate policy/social justice |
Field & Lab Staff
 Nikki Pearl | Lab ManagerContact: np868[AT]drexel.edu Home City: St. Louis, MO MSW: Policy, Planning, and Administration, University of Missouri BS: Psychology, Bradley University Research Interests: Environmental justice, equitable implementation of climate solutions, community-driven engagement and outreach |