Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Zoom
Biography. Dr. Paul Westerhoff is a Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University and the Fulton Chair of Environmental Engineering. He joined ASU in 1995 and after serving as the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Chair he was the Founding Director for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, plus additional administrative roles as Associate & Vice Dean of Research Engineering and ASU Vice Provost for Academic Programming. He is the Director of the Global Center of Water Technology, and co-Deputy Director of the NSF Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability Center (steps-center-org). He has over 450 journal publications (H-index>110) and multiple patents on his research related to fate of nanomaterials in water, developing novel technologies for water and reuse treatment, and understanding reactions related to the fate of pollutants during treatment or in natural systems with a focus on oxo-anions, natural organic matter and micropollutants. He is the recipient of several awards including the recipient of the 2025 Perry L. McCarty/AEESP Founders Award, 2020 A.P. Black award from the American Water Works Association, 2019 NWRI Clarke Prize for excellence in the fields of water science and technology, 2017 Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Annual Achievement Award, ASU Outstanding Doctoral Mentor for 2015, 2013 ARCADIS/AEESP Frontier in Research Award, and 2006 Paul L. Busch Award. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023.
Session Details. This session will be conversational and reflective, focusing less on specific proposals and more on decision-making, prioritization, filtering out "noise," and sustaining a productive and balanced research life. In particular, Dr. Westerhoff will share his perspectives on:
- How he decides which funding opportunities are worth pursuing (and which are not)
- How he prioritizes among competing calls
- How he filters out opportunities outside his core research vision
- How he decides whether -- and when -- to respond to such "noise"
- How he balances grant writing with protecting time for students, research, and life
This session will mark Version 1 of a series in which seasoned faculty share their personal approaches to grant writing -- discussing trade-offs, strategies, and lessons leaned.
We Welcome You to Join the Conversation!