Scholars@Duke
Mark Wiesner

Mark Wiesner

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
wiesner@duke.edu
Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708-0287
120 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708-0287

Overview

Wiesner's research interests include membrane processes, nanostructured materials, transport and fate of nanomaterials in the environment, nano plastics, colloidal and interfacial processes, and environmental systems analysis.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering · 2015 - Present Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering · 2006 - Present Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences · 2024 - Present Environmental Natural Science, Nicholas School of the Environment
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

Recent News Items

Published June 18, 2025
Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here’s What Duke Research Is Doing About Health Concerns
Published November 16, 2023
Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List?
Published December 9, 2022
Pratt School of Engineering
Modeling a ‘River of Plastic’

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Recent Scholarly Works

Plastic Airprint: The Atmospheric and Environmental Cost of Polyethylene Plastic Degradation.

Journal article Environmental science & technology · August 2026 Petroleum-sourced plastics, while indispensable to modern societies, impose environmental costs beyond visible residues. Research has mainly addressed solid fragments, while gaseous byproducts remain overlooked. Here, environmentally relevant abiotic aging ... Full text Cite

Life cycle considerations for membrane fabrication: Linking polymer–solvent selection to plastic persistence and end-of-life trade-offs

Journal article Journal of Membrane Science · July 1, 2026 Polymeric ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes are crucial for water treatment but produce growing amounts of plastic waste at end-of-life (EoL). While recent studies emphasize green solvents and bio-based polymers, the influence of disposal pathw ... Full text Cite

Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of nano-enabled all-carbon recyclable electronic (ACRE) materials

Journal article Rsc Sustainability · July 1, 2026 The fabrication of semiconductor devices, particularly those used in flat-panel displays, is one of the significant climate-change challenges identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to the associated greenhouse gas emissions. This st ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2019 - 2029

NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr)

ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2027

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Education

Johns Hopkins University · 1985 Ph.D.
University of Iowa · 1980 M.S.
Coe College · 1978 B.A.

External Links

Wiesner Research Group Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) International Network For Researching, Advancing, and Assessing Materials for Environmental Sustainability (INFRAMES)