Avner Vengosh
Duke University · Civil & Environmental Engineering
Active 1987–2026
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About
Avner Vengosh is a Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality at Duke University and currently serves as the Chair of the Division of Earth and Climate Sciences at the Nicholas School of the Environment. His research group focuses on the energy-water nexus, conducting pioneering studies on the impact of hydraulic fracturing and coal ash disposal on water quantity and quality in the United States and China. Professor Vengosh has also investigated the sources and mechanisms of water contamination in numerous countries worldwide. His current research includes studying the environmental impacts of phosphate rocks and fertilizers, as well as the effects of lithium mining and other critical raw materials on the environment. He is recognized as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the International Association of Geochemistry. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, he was named one of the Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers. He serves as an editor of GeoHealth and is on the editorial board of Environmental Science and Technology. Professor Vengosh has published 177 scientific papers in leading international journals and authored a recent cross-disciplinary book titled "Water Quality Impacts of the Energy-Water Nexus" (Cambridge University Press, 2022), which provides an integrated assessment of scientific and policy tools related to the energy-water nexus. In 2024, he received the Geological Society of America’s Geology & Health Division Distinguished Career Award.
Research topics
- Environmental science
- Geology
- Environmental chemistry
- Chemistry
- Environmental engineering
- Waste management
- Materials science
- Engineering
- Inorganic chemistry
- Ecology
Selected publications
The Science of The Total Environment · 2021 · 101 citations
1st authorCorrespondingEnvironmental Science & Technology · 2020 · 99 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingThe co-occurrence of contaminants in drinking water may pose enhanced risks to health beyond the effects of single contaminants. Here, we investigated the co-occurrence of four health-relevant redox-sensitive elements (U, As, V, and Cr) in 1494 groundwater wells across North Carolina. The highest concentrations of these elements were measured mostly in groundwater from fractured igneous and metamorphic formations throughout the Piedmont region. Arsenic occurred most frequently in suboxic to mixe…
Fuel · 2020 · 74 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingThe Science of The Total Environment · 2020 · 63 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingQuality of Wastewater from Lithium-Brine Mining
Environmental Science & Technology Letters · 2025-01-17 · 17 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingThe sustainability of lithium mining is one of the critical factors for a successful transition to renewable energy. A potential practice to alleviate brine level decline and loss of adjacent fresh groundwater from brine pumping in the salt pans (salars) is through injection of spent brines into the subsurface. The quality and possible impacts of injecting spent brines have not been fully investigated. Here we present data for major and trace elements in natural brines, brines and salts from eva…
Recent grants
NSF · $46k · 2011–2013
NSF · $299k · 2020–2023
NSF · $364k · 2014–2018
Frequent coauthors
- 56 shared
Nathaniel R. Warner
Pennsylvania State University
- 56 shared
Gary S. Dwyer
Duke University
- 44 shared
Robert B. Jackson
Stanford University
- 42 shared
Zhen Wang
- 39 shared
Rachel M. Coyte
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- 38 shared
Thomas H. Darrah
The Ohio State University
- 31 shared
Erika Weinthal
Duke University
- 30 shared
Heileen Hsu‐Kim
Duke University
Labs
Education
- 1990
Ph.D., Environmental Engineering
Stanford University
- 1985
M.S., Environmental Engineering
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
- 1983
B.S., Environmental Engineering
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Awards & honors
- 2019 Leadership award by the Water-Rock Interaction (WRI) Wo…
- 2018 Geological Society of America (GSA) Fellow
- Selected as one of the best papers for 2018: 'Large-scale Ur…
- Selected to be the winner of the 2018 Dalway Swaine Award fo…
- Acceptance of the 2025 Clair C. Patterson Medal to Avner Ven…
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