Juan Fausto Ortiz-Medina earned his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology engineering in 2012 from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. His master’s degree was in environmental science and engineering in 2014 from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, and his PhD in civil engineering in 2019 from North Carolina State University. He logged four years in the bioremediation industry before accepting a postdoctoral position in early 2024 at Arizona State University. There, in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, he is using hydrogen peroxide in the design, operation, and analysis of activated sludge reactors and electrochemical reactors. In his experience, diverse cultures in the environmental landscape have not been completely fulfilled, magnifying an urgent need to adopt a global and inclusive stance in both academia and industry. At NC State, he contributed to increasing Latinx representation by serving as president of the Latin American Student Association and as a member of the University Diversity Advisory Council. He also volunteered for Legal Aid of North Carolina, visiting farm workers’ residences to act as a translator, inform them of their legal rights, and collect data about their working conditions. As a professor, Ortiz-Medina will establish a research group and teach courses that develop analytic skills for application in multiple fields, and he will prioritize mentorship of underrepresented groups to equip them to become competitive professionals who are as well prepared as their peers.

Research Interests

Environmental Biotechnology, Microbiology