Rate My Professor Craig Just

Craig Just is the Donald E. Bently Professor in Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering. He also holds the position of Research Engineer at IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering. With more than 30 years of experience in environmental engineering, Just specializes in wastewater treatment technologies, waste-to-energy conversion, nitrogen cycling processes, analytical chemistry, microbiology, sensors for complex system control, anaerobic digestion, and algal biofilms. He leads the Iowa Wastewater and Waste to Energy Research Program (IWWERP), founded in 2021 with a $4 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. This program develops and tests innovative solutions for wastewater management in small rural communities and fosters industrial-municipal partnerships through facilities like the IWWERP Tech Park at the Iowa City Water Resource Recovery Facility.

Just earned his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa in 2001, MA from the University of Northern Iowa in 1994, and BS from the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout his career, he has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on research projects totaling over $120 million in funding and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. His contributions to sustainability education include designing the University of Iowa Certificate in Sustainability and teaching courses on sustainable development from 2009 to 2015. Just has received prestigious awards such as the AAAS Leshner Fellowship, the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Sustainability Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers Sustainable Development Division, the International Studies Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, the David J. Skorton Award for Staff Excellence in Public Service, College of Engineering Staff Research and Faculty Service Awards, and the University of Iowa President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2025, he was elected Vice President of the UI Faculty Senate for the 2025-26 academic year. His work significantly impacts water resource management in Iowa by providing affordable wastewater solutions for small towns and enhancing competitiveness for infrastructure funding.