Young Professionals News

Community of Practice Discussions Begin

We are excited to introduce a new initiative that we hope will help us connect as IUVA young professionals (YPs) and expand our YP network! We will be hosting a virtual Community of Practice to share and discuss exciting topics in the UV field. These discussions will be led by your fellow YPs – so it’s a great time to get to know what your colleagues are doing and to learn about new and exciting research and development in the UV field. We aim to create an inviting and inclusive space for open discussion.

At our first event, Jase Headings, an applications engineer at AquiSense, Inc., provided an inside look at how the company is leveraging solid-state UV-C technology to transform the disinfection landscape. He shared the practical advantages of UV-C LEDs, the engineering challenges behind their integration and the broader impact of deploying this technology across global markets.

To be added to the invite list for the Community of Practice, email iuvayp@iuva.org.

New YP Committee Chairs

New YP committee chairs will lead the IUVA YP committee for the 2025-2027 term.

External Chair: Margaret Busse

Margaret Busse is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University. She completed her degrees (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) at Purdue University, where her research focused on the design and optimization of low-cost ultraviolet disinfection systems utilizing ambient UV-B wavelengths. Her lab at Penn State now investigates wavelength-specific pathogen inactivation kinetics across varying flow environments and integrates this with optical modeling to optimize UV disinfection for drinking water across many types of systems. Additionally, the lab evaluates the environmental impact of these and other critical infrastructure systems (i.e., energy, healthcare) through multi-faceted modeling approaches.

Internal Chair: Xuan (Bryan) Liu

Bryan Liu is a process engineer at Garver. He completed his B.S. in environmental engineering at University of Waterloo and Ph.D. in environmental engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. During his Ph.D., his research focused on using 222 nm Excimer lamps for UV Advanced Oxidation Processes. At Garver, Liu works as a process engineer focusing on designing and improving water/wastewater treatment processes, as well as overseeing the development of construction drawings.

The YP Committee exists to increase interest and involvement in the IUVA and UV industry among young professionals (YPs), defined as students and professionals less than 35 years old or with less than five years’ experience post-graduation in UV-related industry, government or academia. If you have any questions or comments, or if you would like to get more involved, feel free to contact us through our website (https://iuva.org/IUVA-Young-Professionals)  or by email iuvayp@iuva.org. We would love to have you join us!