Isaiah M. Spencer-Williams received his bachelor’s degree (2019) and master’s degree (2022) in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), where he currently is a PhD student in civil and environmental engineering. For his dissertation, he is evaluating how design and operational changes in the urban water cycle impact microbial quality and, in turn, human and environmental health. His future lab will explore how to best utilize plant-microbiome interactions to improve urban food production. Spencer-Williams is a student liaison for the Pitt EXCEL Alumni Council, in which he supports student programming, mentors EXCEL scholars, and develops opportunities for students and alumni to engage. In May 2023, he participated in Pitt’s Race @Work Summer Retreat for underrepresented faculty development. As a spoken word artist, poet, and curator, he searches for ways to utilize art to connect scientific concepts and real-life experiences to make the STEM journey for historically underrepresented scholars more visible. He co-founded the Increasing Natural “N-tellect” already Trickling Eternally (INNATE) Project and now serves as an executive board member for the Coloured Section Black Artists’ Collective. His education plan entails not only equipping his students with the technical prowess and engineering knowledge to be formidable, but also the core values of empathy, compassion, and servant leadership.

Research Interests

Urban Water Treatment & Microbiology