Mark Wiesner

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences
  • Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

Contact Information

Education

  • B.A. Coe College, 1978
  • M.S. University of Iowa, 1980
  • Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, 1985
  • Suez (France), 1987
  • Rice University, 2006
  • Rice University, 2001
  • Aix-Marseille University (France), 2000
  • Rice University, 2005
  • Université Paul Sabatier (France), 2007
  • University of Vienna (Austria), 2019
  • Université de Rennes (France), 2029

Research Interests

Membrane processes, nanostructured materials, transport and fate of nanomaterials in the environment, colloidal and interfacial processes, and environmental systems analysis

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Highly Cited Researcher 2015-2023. Clarivate Analytics/ Web of Science. 2015
  • Fellow. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. 2015
  • Member of the National Academy of Engineering. National Academy of Engineering. 2015
  • Clarke Water Prize. National Water Research Institute. 2011
  • Fellow. International Water Association. 2011
  • AAAS Fellows. American Association for the Advancement of Science, The. 2009
  • Fellow. American Society of Civil Engineers,. 2009
  • Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award. Duke University. 2009
  • Honorary Professor. Nankai University, Tianjin, China. 2007
  • Pierre de Fermat Lauréat and Chair of Excellence. L’Institut National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France. 2004
  • Frontiers in Research Award. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. 2004
  • Charles Duncan Award for Scholarship and Teaching. Rice University. 1998
  • Rudolph Hering Medal. American Society of Civil Engineers. 1995
  • Rudolph Hering Medal. Environmental Engineering Division, ASCE. 1995
  • J.J. Barr Award. National Association of Water Companies. 1985
  • Member. Phi Beta Kappa. 1978
  • Undergraduate Investigator. National Science Foundation. 1978

Courses Taught

  • CEE 692: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 691: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 564: Physical Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 560: Environmental Transport Phenomena

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Pfohl, P., K. Santizo, J. Sipe, M. Wiesner, S. Harrison, C. Svendsen, and W. Wohlleben. “Environmental degradation and fragmentation of microplastics: dependence on polymer type, humidity, UV dose and temperature.” Microplastics and Nanoplastics 5, no. 1 (December 1, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43591-025-00118-9.
  • Verhaegen, Yves, and Mark R. Wiesner. “Using boundary layer theory to improve the accuracy of air release factors in environmental exposure estimations.” Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 44, no. 12 (December 2025): 3401–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf219.
  • El Kharraf, Aicha, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Ana Pradas Del Real, Christophe Sandt, Isabelle Bihannic, Mark Wiesner, Dominique Bavay, et al. “UV aging induces colloidal-like behavior in microplastics, mediating contaminant fluxes across interfaces.” Journal of Hazardous Materials 500 (December 2025): 140501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140501.
  • El Kharraf, Aicha, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Ana Pradas Del Real, Christophe Sandt, Mark Wiesner, Gergely Nemeth, Dominique Bavay, Silvia Peraza Ku, Nathan Bossa, and Melanie Davranche. “Polyethylene plastic degradation: The dual pathways from macroplastics to nanoplastics.” Journal of Hazardous Materials 499 (November 2025): 140200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140200.
  • Xiong, Boya, Maryam Salehi, Joana Sipe, and Mark Wiesner. “Transforming the Study of the Mechanical Degradation of Plastic: Advancing Microplastic Release Predictions through Quantitative Approaches.” Environmental Science & Technology 59, no. 40 (October 2025): 21382–85. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c11689.