New professor aims to enhance student experience
Michael J. Bentel has joined civil, materials, and environmental engineering as an assistant professor, where he will start his time at UIC teaching environmental chemistry for professionals.
“My goal as a professor is to enhance the training of graduate and undergraduate students in the laboratory and the classroom while also contributing to the scientific community through meaningful research endeavors and impactful outcomes,” he said.
He is establishing the Chemistry for Environmental Remediation & Sustainability Laboratory at UIC, where his team will focus on developing photochemical and electrochemical strategies to address environmental contaminants and sustainability.
“My research is broadly centered on water quality, with a particular emphasis on developing chemical strategies for environmental pollution remediation and promoting sustainability,” he said.
Bentel received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from UIC in 2013, a master’s in inorganic chemistry from the University of California at Riverside in 2019, and his PhD in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of California at Riverside in 2020.
Now that he is returning to UIC, he wants students to know that he brings a deep passion for his research and classroom instruction.
“As a UIC alum, I am excited to train the next generation of engineers from Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, and the great state of Illinois,” he said.