Dr. Willie F. Harper Jr., Ph.D.
Willie F. Harper, Jr. is a Professor in the Engineering Management program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He received a BS (Civil Engineering) from UCLA, a M. Eng (Civil and Environmental Engineering) from Cornell University, and a Ph.D (Civil and Environmental Engineering) from UC Berkeley where he studied biological phosphorus removal with David Jenkins. Dr. Harper is a registered Professional Engineer (Arizona), and has also served on the faculty at Auburn University and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Harper is generally interested in water quality, including biological and chemical treatment methods. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and has been honored with several awards, including the 2023 74th Arthur S. Flemming Award, the 2022 AEESP Distinguished Service Award, 2022, the 2017-18 Embassy Science Fellowship, the 2016 John L. McLucas Basic Research Award, and many others. Dr. Harper is originally from North Long Beach, CA.
Education
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, June 1992
Awards
74th Arthur S. Flemming Award, 2023
AEESP Distinguished Service Award, 2022
AFIT GSEM Research Award, 2021
Election to the AEESP Board of Directors, 2019-2022
Embassy Science Fellow (Togo), 2017-2018
John L. McLucas Basic Research Award, 2016
AFIT ENV Best Faculty Researcher, 2015
Fulbright Scholar Award (Japan), 2013-2014
AFIT ENV Faculty Scholar of the Year, 2013
Pennsylvania Water Environment Association Professional Research Award, 2011
PITT EXCEL Summer Research Internship, Best Mentor Award, 2011
Auburn University Alumni Engineering Council Junior Faculty Research Award, 2007
NSF Faculty Early CAREER Award, 2006
Publications
Adam C. Burdsall8, Jaya Das Schober8, John E. Stubbs4, Abinash Agrawal5, and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2023). 2,4-dinitroanisole transformation with ultraviolet light emitting diodes and hydrogen peroxide: Kinetics and byproduct formation. Water and Environment Journal, Vol. 37, Issue 1, 142-153.
Yun Xing8, Adam C. Burdsall8, Andrew Owens1, Matthew Magnuson6, and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2021). The effect of mixing and free-floating carrier media on bioaerosol release from wastewater: a multi-scale investigation with Bacillus globigii. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, Vol. 7, 1240-1249.
Yun Xing8 and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2021). The effects of engineered nanoparticles on the microbiology and biochemistry of nitrification. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol. 118(7), 2401-2410.
Matthew Smith1, Sean Stuntz1, Yun Xing8, Matthew Magnuson6, Rebecca Phillips6, and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2021). Functional resilience of activated sludge exposed to Bacillus globigii and bacteriophage MS2. Water and Environment Journal, Vol. 35(3), 930-936.
Adam C. Burdsall8, Yun Xing8, Casey W. Cooper4, and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2021). Bioaerosol emissions from activated sludge basins: characterization, release, and attenuation. Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 753, 141852.
Yun Xing8, Jeff Szabo6, Matthew Magnuson6, Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2020). Analysis of Bacillus globigii spores recovered from a pilot-scale activated sludge system: Clustering, Morphology, and Oxidative Resistance. Chemosphere, Vol. 260, 127591.
Alyssa M. Worland6, Jeffrey J. Czajka6, Aryiana Moore6, Yun Xing8, Willie F. Harper, Jr., Zhenlin Han6, Yechun Wang6, Wei Wen Su6, Yinjie J. Tang5. (2020). Metabolic analysis, terpenoid biosynthesis, and morphology of Yarrowia lipolytica during utilization of lipid-derived feedstock. Metabolic Engineering Communications, 11, e00130.
Yun Xing8 and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2020). Bacillus spore awakening: recent discoveries and technological developments. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Vol. 64, 110-115.
Yun Xing8, Ashlee Ellis1, Matthew Magnuson6, Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2020). Adsorption of bacteriophage MS2 to colloids: kinetics and particle interactions. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 585, 124099.
Sudarshan Kurwadkar5, Timothy V Hoang6, Kailas Malwade6, Sushil Kanel6, Willie F. Harper, Jr., Garrett Struckhoff5. (2019). Application of carbon nanotubes for removal of emerging contaminants of concern in engineered water and wastewater treatment systems. Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering, 4(1), 12-27.
Mbonimpa, E.4, Blatchley, E.5, Applegate, B.5, and Harper, W. (2018). Ultraviolet A and B wavelength-dependent inactivation of viruses and bacteria in the water. Journal of Water and Health, Vol. 16 (5), 796-806.
Brandon M. Stewart1, Michael E. Miller4, David M. Kempisty4, John Stubbs1, and Willie F. Harper, Jr. (2018). Oxidation of tartrazine with ultraviolet light emitting diodes: pH and duty cycles effects, Water Science and Technology, Vol 77 (3), 1651-1659.
Willie F. Harper, Jr., William Flemings1, Kandace Bailey3, Walter Lee1, Daniel Felker6, Vicente Gallardo6, Matthew Magnuson6, and Rebecca Phillips6 (2017). Adsorption of malathion onto copper and iron surfaces relevant to water infrastructure. Journal of American Water Works Association, Vol 109(11), E494-E502.
Kang Song2, Willie F. Harper, Jr., Yuki Takeuchi2, Masaaki Hosomi5, and Akihiko Terada5 (2017). The effect of biological and volumetric mass transfer parameter uncertainty on N2O emissions estimates from WRRFs. Water Environment Research, Vol 89 (7), 580-585.
Akihiko Terada5, Sho Sugawara2, Keisuke Hojo5, Yuki Takeuchi2, Shohei Riya5, Willie F. Harper Jr., Tomoko Yamamoto2, Megumi Kuroiwa2, Kazuo Isobe2, Chie Katsuyama2, Yuichi Suwa2, Keisuke Koba5, and Masaaki Hosomi5 (2017). Hybrid nitrous oxide production from partial nitrifying bioreactor: hydroxylamine interactions with nitrite. Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 51(5), 2748-2756.