Rate My Professor Jorge Gardea-Torresdey

Dr. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey is the Richard Dudley Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He joined UTEP in January 1994, shortly thereafter becoming Director of the Environmental Science and Engineering PhD Program, a role he held until 2003. In 2001, he assumed the position of Chair of the Chemistry Department—later renamed Chemistry and Biochemistry—serving for 17 years and overseeing significant expansions, including the launch of a Biochemistry BS degree, a Chemistry PhD program, and the construction of a new state-of-the-art building. Dr. Gardea-Torresdey has also held prominent editorial roles, including Editor of the Journal of Hazardous Materials from 2007 to 2010 and Associate Editor of Environmental Science and Technology from 2011 to the present. He was appointed Honorary Professor at Zhejiang University of Technology in 2019, Nanjing University in 2016, and the Institute of Urban Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013, and served on the UT System and CONACyT (ConTex) Advisory Board in 2018.

A pioneer in environmental nanotechnology, Dr. Gardea-Torresdey's research group made the groundbreaking discovery of gold and silver nanoparticle production in biological systems, published in Nano Letters (2002) and Langmuir (2003). He has authored over 500 publications, secured five US patents for environmental remediation technologies, and led UTEP's participation as Principal Investigator in major multi-institutional centers: the $48 million NSF University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), the $18.5 million NSF Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), and a $480,000 USDA center focused on enhancing micronutrient use efficiency in crops via nanotechnology. His co-authored 2018 paper in Nature Nanotechnology with Jason C. White addresses nanotechnology applications for global food security amid a projected population of 9.7 billion by 2050. Dr. Gardea-Torresdey has mentored an exceptional number of students, graduating 47 PhD students (34 in Environmental Science and Engineering, 12 in Chemistry, and 1 in Materials Science and Engineering), 37 MSc students, and over 35 undergraduates, with particular emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities. His contributions have earned him numerous honors, including the 2024 Conference USA Professor of the Year Award, 2024 UTEP Outstanding Researcher Distinguished Career Award, 2012 Piper Professor Award, 2009 Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Distinguished Scientist Award, 2017 Great Minds in STEM Award, and designation as one of Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researchers from 2018 to 2023.