George Nnanna
Professor
College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
George Nnanna’s research includes: (a) characterization of produced water using advanced instrumentation such as scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry; (b) and (c) plasmonic metasurface nanostructure-enabled solar energy harvesting for steam generation and water purification; (d) micro-heat exchanger, mini-refrigerator for electronics cooling and thermoelectric application, and HVAC&R; and (e) innovative nanotechnology-based renewable energy water treatment technology for reuse and recycle of produced water and wastewater. His work has resulted in 44 externally funded research grants totaling $11.5M as PI or Co-PI; 70 technical articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings including Nature Nanotechnology. Over 1500 citations, 5 US Patent Awards, 2 pending US Patent applications, Best Poster and Design Awards by NSF at ASME-IMECE and by ASHRAE, and 12 university-wide research awards. He has supervised 30 Masters, PhDs, and Post-doctoral Research Fellows. He is an ABET Program Evaluator, licensed Professional Engineer, and a Fulbright Specialist. In 2015, he joined the Editorial Board of the Heat Transfer in Engineering Journal as an Associate Editor. Dr. Nnanna is the founding Director of Purdue University Water Institute, Texas Water and Energy Institute, a member of the US Department of Energy’s Produced Water Optimization Stakeholder Board, and ASME Fellow.