Maura Sepesy

Maura is a fourth year PhD candidate at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland. She works with Dr. Christine Duval in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department on the use of membrane adsorbers for separating medical isotopes and other radiochemical separations.  Previously, she worked at Lubrizol in their research department, and while obtaining her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) she co-oped at a start-up making super capacitors and Honda R&D researching advanced materials.  

She is interested in the fields of separations as it is involved in waste management and recycling, as well as, nuclear power and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel for a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Focusing on these areas is of particular interest in the fight against climate change and our effect on the earth. She has always had an interest in science communication and being able to share this knowledge with the broader non-scientific community in the form of outreach events like CWRU’s engineering carnival and Duval Lab’s “Get to Know Nuclear” workshop for Girl Scouts.  

When she’s not having fun with science, she enjoys hiking with my partner and dog, playing dungeons and dragons, and exploring local restaurants. 

As an Ohio Public Interest Fellow, Maura will be working with the Division of Environmental & Financial Assistance’s Office of Compliance & Pollution Prevention.