Hannah Collins

Environmental Engineering PhD student and researcher dedicated to advancing sustainable and equitable water management. My work centers on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are persistent “forever chemicals” that pose complex scientific, regulatory, and social challenges. I lead and contribute to three complementary research efforts at Arizona State University: 

• PFAS Hazard Mapping and Environmental Justice Analysis: Integrating statewide PFAS monitoring data with geospatial, environmental, and sociodemographic datasets to identify contamination hotspots, evaluate monitoring inequities, and inform sustainable and equitable water governance in Arizona. 

• Dynamic Mass-Balance Modeling of PFAS Adsorption and Defluorination: Developing a kinetic framework to describe PFAS behavior and removal mechanisms within membrane catalyst-film reactors (MCfRs) and palladium-membrane biofilm reactors (Pd-MBfRs) that treat (i.e., destroy) PFAS.

• PFAS as a Wicked Problem in Water Management: Applying systems thinking and governance frameworks to characterize PFAS contamination as a wicked problem that requires adaptive, inclusive, and cross-sector responses across policy, technology, and community dimensions. 

These projects aim to bridge environmental engineering, geospatial science, and policy to inform decision-making that protects water quality, advances environmental justice, and supports resilient water futures.