This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Joel Ducoste

Editor’s note: This post was written by Joel Ducoste, a professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at NC State. The post is an entry in an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site.

My name is Joel Ducoste and I am a professor in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering program at NC State. My research looks at using numerical tools to help improve the performance of water and wastewater treatment processes.

These numerical models have been helpful in understanding how to better disinfect water,  improve the removal of sediments/solids from water, removal of emerging contaminants like pharmaceutical drugs, personal care products, and hormone mimicking compounds, and the removal of nutrients, just to name a few.

My research has also allowed me to help municipalities keep the sewer collection system free of debilitating formation of solids that lead to sanitary sewer overflows and the release of raw sewage into the environment. I’ve also been fortunate to collaborate with plant biologists to explore how systems biology modeling can help provide a clearer picture of the regulatory behavior of different cellular pathways to predict phenotypes. Together, my research has cut across many disciplines and has been very rewarding.

The journey to becoming a professor has been very interesting and rewarding. I am originally from Port au Prince Haiti and came to the USA when I was three years old. From a very early age, I’ve been fascinated by how things worked. My father would always get upset at me for taking my toys apart to see what was underneath. Some of those toys were expensive. Oops.

I did not know it then, but I had the heart of an engineer. I was able to study both mechanical engineering and environmental engineering and worked in the private sector at GE Aircraft Engines and CH2M Hill, an environmental consulting firm. The experience I had in the private sector has allowed me to share my experiences in the classroom and excite future engineers. I continue to consult with companies in the private sector.

Early on, I never thought that I would be a professor at a university. However, after thinking back at some of the activities I did in high school, it actually makes sense.

In high school, I was in charge of the tutoring club and provided leadership in helping others learn about course material they had trouble with. I enjoyed providing guidance about different subjects. Little did I know that this activity was a precursor to the joy I have in transferring my knowledge about different topics to college students.

I’ve been fortunate through my career at NC State to travel around the world and to share the things we’ve learned through our research activities. No one told me that a college professor could have the opportunity to visit places like Israel, Russia, the U.K, Denmark, Italy, China, Japan, Belgium, Holland, France, Venezuela, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, and Spain. In addition, I work with researchers from other countries that I hope to visit one day.

I am married and the father of three children, ranging in age from 13 to 19. They are a very important part of my life and keep me grounded. I think they also share my interest in trying to understand how things work in different ways, which is always exciting. I don’t think any of them will be engineers. But they will use their analytical abilities in other fields. The future looks great. My wife and I hope to travel to places we’ve never been, which includes places in the USA.

I would recommend the life of a professor to anyone. It has been very rewarding overall.