Biography
Kushal Adhikari joined Juniata in 2022 as an Assistant Professor in the newly introduced Environmental Engineering program and brings in his teaching experience from Cal Poly Humboldt and Texas Tech University.
Dr. Adhikari earned his B.S. in engineering from Visveswaraya Technological University, Bangalore, India with a full merit scholarship from the Government of India. After two years of professional experience in water supply and sanitation projects in his hometown, Nepal, Dr. Adhikari joined Texas Tech University for his graduate studies in 2016. Dr. Adhikari completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a focus on water resources and environmental engineering in Aug 2021.
Dr. Adhikari started his academic career as a Faculty and Research Associate at Cal Poly Humboldt where he taught courses including Engineering Statics, Environmental Data Modeling & Analysis, Intro to Water Quality, and Senior Capstone. Dr. Adhikari strongly believes in practical-based learning and strives to create research opportunities for students while creating an impact on human lives and society. His research interest lies in integrating sustainability dimensions into engineering, thus building a sustainable and resilient society while using appropriate ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. His major research projects include water sustainability via reclamation and reuse, climate-smart agriculture, optimization techniques for water resources management, food-energy-water nexus, and materials sustainability. He is published in professional journals such as Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Journal of Water Process Engineering, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, Resources, Environment, & Sustainability, Water, Materials, and others. He has also presented at multiple national and international conferences including ASCE-EWRI, AWWA, GSFN and recently served as a panel speaker at Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium 2022.
In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Adhikari is actively involved with different professional organizations including the ASCE-EWRI, AWWA, and AAEES. Dr. Adhikari serves as a peer-reviewer for over 15 highly reputed scientific journals and has already reviewed over 200+ research articles. Dr. Adhikari had served as editor for the Resources, Environment, & Sustainability journal in the past and is currently an editor for Discover Sustainability journal.
Dr. Adhikari has won fellowships including the Golden Jubilee Academic Fellowship by the Government of India, John B. Hawley Memorial Fellowship by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is a recipient of multiple fellowships during his Ph.D. at Texas Tech including Helen DeVitt Jones Graduate Fellowship and Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Dr. Adhikari has also received awards and recognition for his professional service including Excellent Reviewer and recently received a Gold certification of Appreciation for his role and contribution