Rate My Professor David Hanigan

David Hanigan, PhD, PE, serves as Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs, and Program Director for Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. He joined UNR as an Assistant Professor in 2016, advancing to Associate Professor in 2022. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Arizona State University from 2015 to 2016. Hanigan holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University (2015), where his dissertation focused on identification of N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors; an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia (2011), with a thesis on removal of disinfection by-product precursors; and a B.S. in Civil Engineering with honors from the University of Missouri-Columbia (2009).

The Hanigan Lab investigates environmental organic and inorganic chemistry and process-based water treatment, emphasizing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including their thermal decomposition, volatility, and removal; disinfection byproducts (DBPs) such as nitrosamines (NDMA) precursors from natural and anthropogenic sources and wildfire impacts; potable reuse and reclaimed wastewater for irrigation; and analytical methods like high-resolution mass spectrometry. Notable publications include "Critical Review of Thermal Decomposition of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Mechanisms and Implications for Thermal Treatment Processes" (Environmental Science & Technology, 2022, ES&T Best Paper 2022 and Clarivate Highly Cited Paper); "Formation, precursors, control, and occurrence of nitrosamines in drinking water: A review" (Water Research, 2013); "Removal of poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances from aqueous systems by nano-enabled water treatment strategies" (Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2019, Best Paper Award); "Reclaimed wastewater as a viable water source for agricultural irrigation: A review of food crop growth inhibition and promotion in the context of environmental change" (Science of the Total Environment, 2020); and "Natural Vs. Anthropogenic Sources of N-Nitrosodimethylamine Precursors in Surface Water" (Water Research, 2024). His contributions have earned awards such as the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists 40 Under 40 (2024), Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Emerging Investigator Series (2021), American Water Works Association Abel Wolman Fellow (2014-2016), and Water Environment Federation Canham Graduate Studies Scholar (2014). Hanigan has been interviewed by The Atlantic on PFAS in drinking water (2024) and National Journal on wildfire effects on water quality (2022), and serves on the Environmental Science & Technology Early Career Editorial Board (2025).