Abhishek RoyChowdhury

Abhishek RoyChowdhury

  • Associate Professor, Natural and Applied Sciences
  • Ph.D. in Environmental Management, Montclair State University
  • M.Sc. in Environmental Science, University of Calcutta
  • B.Sc. in Biology (with Honors), University of Calcutta

Teaching Interests

Environmental science and sustainability; Natural resource management; Environmental remediation; Water quality and water treatment; Environmental justice; Environmental law; Green energy

Research Interests

Water treatment and development of innovative and sustainable water filtration technologies; Conservation of clean water resources; Identification of geogenic and anthropogenic water contaminants; Cleaning up of mining impacted soil and water; Environment and public health; Water security and water supply; Broadening participation in STEM and diverse workforce development; Production of algal bioenergy from wastewater

Bio

Dr. Abhishek RoyChowdhury is an environmental biogeochemist with research interests in addressing climate impacts on frontline communities, environment and public health, water security, sustainable water treatment technologies, water supply in frontline communities, and sustainable energy production. All his ongoing projects are community centric applied research. He is a water rights advocate. Passionate about STEM education and future workforce development, Dr. RoyChowdhury has secured over $14 million in grants from federal and non-federal sources, including NSF, NASA, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Department of Interior (USDOI), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Dr. RoyChowdhury serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Geology and Health Division of The Geological Society of America and as an academic editor for PLOS Water journal. His contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the 2022 Early Career Award from the American Society of Reclamation Science, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES)'s 40 Under 40 Rising Star Award, and Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40 Award (for the State of New Mexico), and recognition from the New Mexico State Senate Fifty-Fifth Legislature (2022), among many others. In 2023, Dr. RoyChowdhury was named a USDA Terra Preta do Indio Tribal Science Fellow, continuing his commitment to advancing environmental science and Indigenous community development.

Professional Memberships

  • Geological Society of America Present
  • American Society of Reclamation Sciences Present
  • American Geophysical Union Present
  • American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists Present
  • Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Present
  • American Meteorological Society Present

    • Awards and Honors

  • Inclusive Teaching Fellow, Bentley University
  • Certificate of Appreciation, Geological Society of America
  • Terra Preta do Indio Tribal Science Fellow (2023), United States Department of Agriculture
  • Early Career Award (2022), American Society of Reclamation Science
  • 40 Under 40 (2022), American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists
  • 40 Under 40 (2022), Albuquerque Business First
  • Recognition from the New Mexico State Senate Fifty-Fifth Legislature (2022), New Mexico State Senate Fifty-Fifth Legislature
  • Certificate of Excellence (2021), Navajo Technical University
  • Memorial Scholarship (PhD level) (2015), American Society of Mining and Reclamation

    • Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

    Journal Articles

  • Kar, S., Paul, S., Singh, R. K., Parveen, S., Hossain, K., RoyChowdhury, A. (2026). Application of Water Hyacinth for Phytoremediation of Ammoniacal Nitrogen. Nitrogen, (7 (1)) 27 (Link)
  • Hossain, K., Kar, S., Hati, D., Ghosh, A., Sengupta, S., Paul, S., De, A., RoyChowdhury, A. (2026). Impact of Heavy Metal Sequestration During Phytoremediation of Textile Wastewater on Biogas Yield of Aquatic Plants: A Review. Biomass, (6) 34 (Link)
  • Majumdar, D., Chaturvedi, O. P., Kar, S., Kundu, K., RoyChowdhury, A., Hati, D., Hossain, K. (2026). Palm Oil Biodiesel: Unlocking a Sustainable Energy Alternative to Fossil Fuels for a Greener Future. Synthetic Ecological Engineering, (2) 1 1-21. (Link)
  • Zhang, Z., Satpathy, A., Morris, K., RoyChowdhury, A., Datta, R., Sarkar, D. (2024). Organic Amendments Improve the Quality of Coal Gob Spoils: A Sustainable Mining Waste Reclamation Method. Applied Science, (14) 21 (Link)
  • Martinez, C. J., Das, D., Bloomfield, E. F., Abraham, J. D., Knox, J. A., Simmonds, R., Hilderbrand, D. C., Giovannettone, J., Gouw, A. M., RoyChowdhury, A. (2024). Bridging the COSMOS: How the inclusion of and collaboration with Faith-based Understandings and Indigenous Knowledges can transform the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, (105) E1734–E1754. (Link)
  • Halder, S., RoyChowdhury, A., Kar, S., Ray, D., Bhandari, G. (2024). Critical Watershed Prioritization through Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques and Geographical Information System Integration for Watershed Management. Sustainability, (16) (Link)
  • Kar, S., Chowdhury, S., Gupta, T., Hati, D., De, A., Ghatak, Z., Tinab, T., Rahman, I. T., Chatterjee, S., RoyChowdhury, A. (2024). A Study on the Impact of Air Pollution on Health Status of Traffic Police Personnel in Kolkata, India. Air, (2) 1 1-23. (Link)
  • Zhang, Z., Satpathy, A., Morris, K., RoyChowdhury, A., Datta, R., Sarkar, D. (2024). Organic Amendments Improve the Quality of Coal Gob Spoils: A Sustainable Mining Waste Reclamation Method. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), (14) Issue 21 (Link)
  • Halder, S., RoyChowdhury, A., Kar, S., Ray, D., Bhandari, G. (2024). Critical Watershed Prioritization through Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques and Geographical Information System Integration for Watershed Management. Sustainability (Switzerland), (16) Issue 8 (Link)
  • Martinez, C., Das, D., Bloomfield, E., Abraham, J., Knox, J., Simmonds, R., Hilderbrand, D., Giovannettone, J., Gouw, A., RoyChowdhury, A. (2024). Bridging the COSMOS: How the Inclusion of and Collaboration with Faith-Based Understandings and Indigenous Knowledges Can Transform the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, (105) Issue 9 (Link)
  • Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., Braida, W. J., Terracciano, A., Su, T., Christodoulatos, C., Koutsospyros, A., RoyChowdhury, A., Smolinski, B., Lawal, A. (2023). On-site pilot scale microalgae cultivation using industrial wastewater for bioenergy production: a case study towards circular bioeconomy. Bioengineering, (10) 12 (Link)
  • Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., Braida, W., Terracciano, A., Su, T., Christodoulatos, C., Koutsospyros, A., RoyChowdhury, A., Smolinski, B., Lawal, A. (2023). On-Site Pilot-Scale Microalgae Cultivation Using Industrial Wastewater for Bioenergy Production: A Case Study towards Circular Bioeconomy. Bioengineering, (10) Issue 12 (Link)
  • Kar, S., Ghosh, I., Chowdhury, P., Ghosh, A., Aitch, P., Bhandari, G., RoyChowdhury, A. (2022). A Model-based Prediction and Analysis of Seasonal and Tidal Influence on Pollutants Distribution from City Outfalls of river Ganges in West Bengal, India and its Mapping using GIS tool. PLOS Water (Link)
  • Mai, A., Terracciano, A., Abraham, J., RoyChowdhury, A., Koutsospyros, A., Su, T., Braida, W., Christodoulatos, C., Smolinski, B. (2022). Generation of biofuel from anaerobic digestion of Scenedesmus obliquus grown in energetic-laden industrial wastewater: Understanding microalgae strains, co-digestants, and digestate toxicity. Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, (41) 2 (Link)
  • Mai, A., Terracciano, A., Abraham, J., RoyChowdhury, A., Koutsospyros, A., Su, T., Braida, W., Christodoulatos, C., Smolinski, B. (2022). Generation of biofuel from anaerobic digestion of Scenedesmus obliquus grown in energetic-laden industrial wastewater: Understanding microalgae strains, co-digestants, and digestate toxicity. Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, (41) Issue 2 (Link)
  • Kar, S., Ghosh, I., Chowdhury, P., Ghosh, A., Aitch, P., Bhandari, G., RoyChowdhury, A. (2022). A model-based prediction and analysis of seasonal and tidal influence on pollutants distribution from city outfalls of river Ganges in West Bengal, India and its mapping using GIS tool. PLOS Water, (1) Issue 2 (Link)
  • Kar, S., Ghosh, I., Show, S., Sen, A., Gupta, T., Chowdhury, P., Chatterjee, T., RoyChowdhury, A. (2021). Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak on Society, Air Quality, and Economy in India: A Study of Three “P”s of Sustainability in India. Sustainability, (13) 5 (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Mukherjee, P., Panja, S., Datta, R., Christodoulatos, C., Sarkar, D. (2021). Evidence for phytoremediation and phytoexcretion of NTO from industrial wastewater by vetiver grass. Molecules, (26) 1 (Link)
  • Roychowdhury, A., Mukherjee, P., Panja, S., Datta, R., Christodoulatos, C., Sarkar, D. (2021). Evidence for Phytoremediation and Phytoexcretion of NTO from Industrial Wastewater by Vetiver Grass. Molecules, (26) Issue 1 (Link)
  • Kar, S., Ghosh, I., Show, S., Sen, A., Gupta, T., Chowdhury, P., Chatterjee, T., Roychowdhury, A. (2021). Impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak on society, air quality, and economy in india: A study of three “p”s of sustainability in India. Sustainability (Switzerland), (13) Issue 5 (Link)
  • Lin, Y., Abraham, J., RoyChowdhury, A., Su, T., Braida, W., Christodoulatos, C. (2020). Ecotoxicological response of Scenedesmus obliquus to pure energetic compounds and metal ions found in wastewater streams from munitions manufacturing . Algal Research, (48) (Link)
  • Lin, Y., Abraham, J., RoyChowdhury, A., Su, T., Braida, W., Christodoulatos, C. (2020). Ecotoxicological response of Scenedesmus obliquus to pure energetic compounds and metal ions found in wastewater streams from munitions manufacturing. Algal Research, (48) Issue (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., Lin, Y., Christodoulatos, C., Lawal, A., Koutsospyros, A., Braida, W. (2019). Assessing oil content of microalgae grown in industrial energetic-laden wastewater. Environmental Processes, (6) 969-983. (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2019). A Combined Chemical and Phytoremediation Method for Reclamation of Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Soils. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, (26) 14414-14425. (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2019). Removal of Acidity and Metals from Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water Using industrial byproducts. Environmental Management, (63) 1 148-158. (Link)
  • Roychowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2019). A combined chemical and phytoremediation method for reclamation of acid mine drainage–impacted soils. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, (26) Issue 14 (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., Lin, Y., Christodoulatos, C., Lawal, A., Koutsospyros, A., Braida, W. (2019). Assessing Oil Content of Microalgae Grown in Industrial Energetic-Laden Wastewater. Environmental Processes, (6) Issue 4 (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2019). Removal of Acidity and Metals from Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water using Industrial Byproducts. Environmental Management, (63) Issue 1 (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2018). Preliminary studies on potential remediation of acid mine drainage-impacted soils by amendment with drinking-water treatment residuals. Remediation, (28) 3 75-82. (Link)
  • Abraham, J., Lin, Y., RoyChowdhury, A., Christodoulatos, C., Conway, M., Smolinski, B., Braida, W. (2018). Algae Toxicological Assessment and Valorization of Energetic-laden Wastewater Streams Using Scenedesmus obliquus. Journal of Cleaner Production, (202) 838-845. (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2018). Preliminary studies on potential remediation of acid mine drainage-impacted soils by amendment with drinking-water treatment residuals. Remediation, (28) Issue 3 (Link)
  • Abraham, J., Lin, Y., RoyChowdhury, A., Christodoulatos, C., Conway, M., Smolinski, B., Braida, W. (2018). Algae toxicological assessment and valorization of energetic-laden wastewater streams using Scenedesmus obliquus. Journal of Cleaner Production, (202) Issue (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Deng, Y., Datta, R. (2017). Assessment of soil and water contamination from acid mine drainage: A case study from Tab Simco coal mine. Mine Water and the Environment, (36) 248-256. (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Deng, Y., Datta, R. (2017). Assessment of Soil and Water Contamination at the Tab-Simco Coal Mine: A Case Study. Mine Water and the Environment, (36) Issue 2 (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Sarkar, D., Datta, R. (2015). Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water. Current Pollution Reports, (1) 131-141. (Link)
  • Pandey, R. K., Rai, A., Kundu, K., Karmakar, R., Roy, P., RoyChowdhury, A., Dahake, V. R. (2013). Effect of process parameters for standardization of esterification of cotton seed oil for the production of biodiesel. International Journal of Current Science, (8) 74-78. (Link)
  • Karmakar, R., RoyChowdhury, A., Kundu, K., Chattopadhyay, A. (2012). Optimization of growth parameters for indigenous algae (for the production of algal biofuel). International journal of Genetics Engineering and Biotechnology, (3) 1-13.
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Karmakar, R., Kundu, K., Dahake, V. R. (2011). Algal biodiesel: Future prospects and problems. Water and Energy International, (November 2011) 44-51.

    • Books

  • Vandever, D. W., RoyChowdhury, A., James, P. R., Kinney, S., Olsen, P. E. (2026). High Desert Treasure 36. Chinle, AZ: Navajo Technical University Press (Link)

    • Book Chapters

  • Panja, S., Pal, R., Roychowdhury, A. (2025). Accumulation and Detoxification of Aqueous Pollutants by Microbes/Enzymes . CRC Press (Link)
  • Panja, S., Pal, R., RoyChowdhury, A. (2024). Chapter 4 – Accumulation and Detoxification of Aqueous Pollutants by Microbes/Enzymes Microbes and Enzymes for Water Treatment and Remediation. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Datta, R., Sarkar, D. (2018). Chapter 3.10 – Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation Green Chemistry: An Inclusive Approach. Elsevier (Link)
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Datta, R., Sarkar, D. (2018). Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation . Elsevier Inc. (Link)

    • Conference Proceedings

  • RoyChowdhury, A., Wilson, D., Largo, R., Frey, B., Sturgis, L., Yu, J., Tsosie, R., Woolsey, E., Byrom, J. (2025). “Successful installation of a community-level water filtration system to address groundwater contamination in the Navajo Nation” Geological Society of America Annual Conference 2025 San Antonio, TX
  • Carver, M., RoyChowdhury, A. (2025). “A student-led community garden showcasing collaboration between Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science” The Geological Society of America 2025 Annual Conference San Antonio
  • Monestersky, M., Bedonie, F., Siegel, M., Siegel, L. J., RoyChowdhury, A., Carver, M., Scott, K., Yechieli, A., Monestersky-Sebastian, R. (2025). “Sustaining Indigenous Life and Culture with Water and WASH” The Geological Society of America 2025 Annual Conference San Antonio, TX
  • Mai, A., Terracciano, A., RoyChowdhury, A., Abraham, J., Smolinski, B., Su, T., Braida, W., Koutsospyros, A., Christodoulatos, C. (2020). “Anaerobic digestion of S. obliquus grown in energetic laden wastewater: Batch and Benchtop-scale Semi-Continuous Reactors Study” Protection and Restoration of the Environment. XV Greece
  • Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., RoyChowdhury, A., Su, T., Christodoulatos, C., Smolinski, B., Lawal, A., Braida, W. J. (2020). “On-site freshwater microalgae culture using untreated industrial energetic-laden wastewater at pilot scale” Protection and Restoration of the Environment. XV Greece
  • Lin, Y., Cao, H., RoyChowdhury, A., Abraham, J., Koutsospyros, A., Braida, W., Christodoulatos, C., Su, T. (2020). “The high-output cultivation system for harvesting of microalgae” Protection and Restoration of the Environment. XV Greece
  • RoyChowdhury, A., Abraham, J., Abimbola, T., Lin, Y., Christodoulatos, C., Lawal, A., Arienti, P., Smolinski, B., Braida, W. (2018). “From waste to energy: optimizing growth of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus in untreated energetic-laden wastewater streams from an ammunition facility for bioenergy production” Protection and Restoration of the Environment. XIV Greece
  • Abraham, J., Roychowdhury, A., Christodoulatos, C., Lin, Y., Arienti, P., Smolinski, B., Braida, W. (2016). “The cycle of nutrients at industrial plants: Valorization of energetic-laden wastewater streams using microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus to produce bioenergy”

    • Service

    Service: Public

  • Grant Proposal Reviewer, External for United States Department of Agriculture- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) - Present

    • Service: Professional

  • Committee Member for Diversity in the Geosciences Committee/ The Geological Society of America 2026-07-01 - Present
  • Conference/Workshop Session Chair for "T54. Indigenous Teaching and Research in the Geosciences: Approaches to Indigenizing Geoscience Across Multiple Contexts" at The Geological Society of America 2025 Annual Conference 2025-10-19 - 2025-10-22
  • Conference/Workshop Organizer for 4th Annual N4WPP (Navajo Nation) Water Symposium 2025-10-24 - 2025-10-24
  • Conference/Workshop Session Chair for “T47. Respectful Approaches in Geoscience Contexts for Supporting Indigenous Communities.” at The Geological Society of America 2024 Annual Conference 2024-09-22 - 2024-09-25
  • Committee Member for Joint Technical Program Committee/ The Geological Society of America 2024-07-01 - Present
  • Conference/Workshop Organizer for Southwest Tribal Climate Action Summit on combining Indigenous knowledge with scientific tools to address water quality and woodland landscape challenges 2023-09-10 - 2023-09-14
  • Conference/Workshop Organizer for Southwest Tribal Climate Action Summit on combining Indigenous knowledge with scientific tools to address water quality and woodland landscape challenges 2023-09-10 - 2023-09-14
  • Conference/Workshop Session Chair for "T71. Challenges to Tribal Water Resources and the Health of Indigenous Communities in North America” at The Geological Society of America 2022 Annual Conference 2022-10-09 - 2022-10-12
  • Conference/Workshop Session Chair for “Confronting Water Challenges with Innovative Technologies in Diné Communities” at American Indian Science and Engineering Society 2023 Region 3 Conference 2023-03-24 - 2023-03-26
  • Conference/Workshop Organizer for Tribal Climate Camp: Asserting Tribal Sovereignty through Climate Planning. 2023-03-12 - 2023-03-18
  • Officer, Treasurer for Geology and Health Division of The Geological Society of America - Present
  • Editor (Associate), Journal for PLOS Water - Present
  • Editor (Associate), Journal for International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2016-01-01 - 2025-02-28