He receives 2026 Camp Applied Research Award

Zhen (Jason) He was honored by the Water Environment Federation

Channing Suhl 08.31.2026

Zhen (Jason) He, associate chair and Laura and William Jens Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected to receive the Water Environment Federation (WEF) 2026 Camp Applied Research Award.

He’s Environmental Biotechnology & Bioenergy Laboratory explores the intersection of microbiology, engineering and electrochemistry. The lab seeks to understand the microbial and electrochemical processes in engineered systems designed for resource recovery from wastewater treatment. He’s work includes but is not limited to biotechnology development for wastewater treatment, bioenergy production using microbial fuel cells, sustainable desalination technology, bioremediation using bio-electrochemical techniques and the understanding of those and other environmental biological processes.

He is the director of WashU’s Center for Water Innovation (CWI) and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Hazardous Materials and of Water Environment Research.

The Camp Award recognizes a WEF member who demonstrates a unique application of basic research or fundamental principles through the design or development of a wastewater collection or treatment system. It was named in honor of Thomas R. Camp, an educator, consultant and writer whose contributions to applied research have guided design criteria in many aspects of water pollution control.

He will accept the award at the 2026 Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference award ceremony in New Orleans in September.

The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis promotes independent inquiry and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration without boundaries. McKelvey Engineering has top-ranked research and graduate programs across departments, particularly in biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and computing, and has one of the most selective undergraduate programs in the country. With 165 full-time faculty, 1,524 undergraduate students, 1,554 graduate students and 22,000 living alumni, we are working to solve some of society’s greatest challenges; to prepare students to become leaders and innovate throughout their careers; and to be a catalyst of economic development for the St. Louis region and beyond.