Akhenaton-Andrew Dhafir Jones

Jones

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Jones' research uses engineering and policy analysis to help solve global challenges related to water and health. He is a 2021 recipient of the NIH R35 Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award to develop new models and tools for studying biofilms and a 2019 Sloan SEED fund award to develop new tools for point of use water quality monitoring systems. He was recognized as Young Investigator by the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State, the premier center for biofilm research in the US. He received a BS in Mathematics and BS, MS, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT where he was a Lemelson Presidential Fellow and Alfred P. Sloan MPHD Scholar. He completed post-doctoral training as a Future Faculty Fellow at Northeastern University. He has directly supervised 2 high school students, over 20 undergraduates, 5 MS, 5 PhD, and 2 post-doctoral trainees including 8 from underrepresented backgrounds and 19 women. He and his team have presented at over 40 conferences and seminars. He served as a Pratt Coaching 360 advisor and Duke UCEM Faculty Champion for Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Contact Information

Education

  • Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018

Research Interests

Biofilms, cardiovascular infections, infectious diseases, biomaterials, antibiotics, porous media flows, fate and transport of nanomaterials in biofilms, water quality sensors, environmental systems analysis, environmental equity, environmental justice

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. Cell Press . 2021
  • Post-doctoral Student Award. The American Institute of Chemist. 2019
  • Young Investigator Award. Montana State University Center for Biofilm Engineering. 2018

Courses Taught

  • CEE 301L: Fluid Mechanics
  • CEE 560: Environmental Transport Phenomena
  • CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 701: Graduate Colloquium

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Razgaleh, SA; Wrench, A; Jones, A-AD, Surface Energy and Viscoelastic Characteristics of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Cutibacterium acnes Biofilm on Commercial Skin Constructs versus Agar. (2023) [10.1101/2023.02.10.527933] [abs].
  • Jones, A-AD; Buie, CR, In situ continuous electrochemical quantification of bacterial adhesion to electrically polarized metallic surfaces under shear., Biointerphases, vol 17 no. 2 (2022) [10.1116/6.0001585] [abs].
  • Cohen, SE; Hashmi, SM; Jones, A-AD; Lykourinou, V; Ondrechen, MJ; Sridhar, S; van de Ven, AL; Waters, LS; Beuning, PJ, Adapting Undergraduate Research to Remote Work to Increase Engagement., Biophysicist (Rockville, Md.), vol 2 no. 2 (2021), pp. 28-32 [10.35459/tbp.2021.000199] [abs].
  • Medina-Cruz, D; Vernet-Crua, A; Mostafavi, E; González, MU; Martínez, L; Iii, A-ADJ; Kusper, M; Sotelo, E; Gao, M; Geoffrion, LD; Shah, V; Guisbiers, G; Cholula-Díaz, JL; Guillermier, C; Khanom, F; Huttel, Y; García-Martín, JM; Webster, TJ, Aloe Vera-Mediated Te Nanostructures: Highly Potent Antibacterial Agents and Moderated Anticancer Effects., Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland), vol 11 no. 2 (2021) [10.3390/nano11020514] [abs].
  • Jones, A-A; Medina-Cruz, D; Kim, NYJ; Mi, G; Bartomeu-Garcia, C; Baranda-Pellejero, L; Bassous, N; Webster, T, Statistical classification of dynamic bacterial growth with sub-inhibitory concentrations of nanoparticles and its implications for disease treatment (2020) [10.1101/2020.07.19.210930] [abs].