Disclaimer: I didn't write this!
This page was written by artificial intelligence based on my publicly available research products.
Over time, I will update it in my own words, but for now, here is what AI thinks I do:
🌊 1. Contaminant Fate & Transport in the Environment
Dr. Cunningham’s work in contaminant fate and transport examines how pollutants behave once they enter natural systems such as soil, groundwater, rivers, and wetlands. His research integrates hydrogeology, geochemistry, and fluid mechanics to understand the processes that control contaminant mobility.
Expanded Details
- He studies grain‑scale mass‑transfer limitations, showing how contaminants trapped in low‑permeability zones slowly diffuse back into flowing groundwater, prolonging cleanup times.
- His models incorporate heterogeneous porous media, capturing how variations in grain size, porosity, and mineralogy influence contaminant retention.
- He investigates multiphase flow, especially for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that partition between water, air, and non‑aqueous phases.
- His work helps explain why some contaminants persist for decades even after remediation begins.
Applications
- Predicting long‑term plume behavior at contaminated industrial sites
- Designing more effective pump‑and‑treat or in‑situ remediation systems
- Improving risk assessments for communities near contaminated aquifers
💧 2. Physical, Chemical, and Biological Processes for Water Treatment
Dr. Cunningham’s research in water treatment spans drinking water, wastewater, and water reuse systems, with a focus on improving contaminant removal efficiency and understanding treatment kinetics.
Expanded Details
- He studies biological nutrient removal, especially denitrification pathways and the microbial ecology of treatment reactors.
- His work on bio‑electrochemical systems explores how microbial fuel cells can simultaneously treat wastewater and generate electricity.
- He investigates advanced oxidation and reduction processes, including electrochemical methods that break down persistent contaminants.
- His group evaluates treatment plant performance using both experimental data and mechanistic models.
Applications
- Designing next‑generation wastewater treatment systems
- Improving nutrient removal to protect coastal ecosystems
- Developing low‑energy treatment technologies for resource‑limited communities
🌱 3. Water Resources, Water Reuse & Sustainability
Dr. Cunningham contributes to sustainable water management by studying how reclaimed water can be safely integrated into municipal and agricultural systems.
Expanded Details
- He evaluates water reuse treatment trains, assessing how different combinations of biological, chemical, and physical processes remove emerging contaminants.
- His work considers public‑health implications, including pathogen removal and chemical exposure risks.
- He models water‑resource systems to help municipalities plan for long‑term water scarcity.
Applications
- Designing safe potable and non‑potable reuse systems
- Supporting water‑reuse policy development
- Helping water‑stressed regions diversify their water portfolios
🧪 4. Mass Transfer in Natural and Engineered Systems
Mass transfer is a unifying theme across Dr. Cunningham’s research, influencing contaminant fate, treatment efficiency, and remediation outcomes.
Expanded Details
- He studies diffusion‑limited desorption, where contaminants slowly escape from soil micropores.
- His work quantifies interphase mass transfer, such as volatilization of VOCs from water to air.
- He develops models that incorporate reaction kinetics, showing how chemical or biological reactions interact with mass‑transfer processes.
Applications
- Predicting long‑term cleanup times for contaminated aquifers
- Designing reactors that overcome mass‑transfer bottlenecks
- Improving models used by environmental consultants and regulators
🏞️ 5. Groundwater Contamination & Remediation
Groundwater contamination is a major focus of Dr. Cunningham’s applied research.
Expanded Details
- He studies enhanced bioremediation, including nitrate and sulfate injection strategies that stimulate microbial degradation of contaminants.
- His work includes reactive transport modeling, integrating chemical reactions with groundwater flow.
- He has contributed to projects assessing lead contamination in vulnerable communities, helping quantify exposure risks and remediation needs.
- He evaluates natural attenuation, determining when natural processes can safely reduce contaminant concentrations.
Applications
- Cleanup of petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g., BTEX compounds)
- Remediation of chlorinated solvents
- Community‑level assessments of groundwater safety
🌋 6. Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide
Dr. Cunningham’s research on CO₂ sequestration supports global climate‑change mitigation efforts.
Expanded Details
- He models CO₂ injection into deep saline aquifers, predicting plume migration, dissolution, and mineralization.
- His work evaluates storage efficiency, identifying geological formations best suited for long‑term sequestration.
- He assesses industrial sequestration potential, such as at TECO’s Polk Power Station, integrating geological, chemical, and engineering data.
Applications
- Designing safe, long‑term CO₂ storage projects
- Supporting carbon‑capture feasibility studies
- Informing regulatory frameworks for geologic sequestration
🔄 7. Resource Recovery from Waste Streams
Dr. Cunningham’s work in resource recovery supports circular‑economy principles and sustainable engineering.
Expanded Details
- He studies bioleaching, using microorganisms to extract valuable metals from spent lithium‑ion batteries.
- His research explores energy recovery from wastewater, including microbial fuel cells and anaerobic digestion.
- He investigates nutrient recovery, such as phosphorus extraction from sludge.
Applications
- Sustainable recycling of electronic waste
- Energy‑positive wastewater treatment plants
- Reducing landfill waste and recovering valuable materials
🧮 8. Mathematical & Computational Modeling of Environmental Systems
Modeling is central to Dr. Cunningham’s research identity.
Expanded Details
- He develops numerical models for groundwater flow, contaminant transport, and treatment processes.
- His models incorporate multiphase flow, reaction kinetics, and mass‑transfer limitations.
- He uses modeling to test conceptual hypotheses, validate experimental results, and guide engineering design.
- His work often bridges microscale processes (grain‑scale diffusion) with field‑scale predictions.
Applications
- Predicting contaminant plume evolution over decades
- Designing optimized treatment reactors
- Supporting environmental decision‑making and regulatory compliance