Faculty Profile for Dr. Sangchul Hwang

profile photo for Dr. Sangchul Hwang
Dr. Sangchul Hwang
Associate Professor — Ingram School of Engineering
IGRM 5312
phone: (512) 245-3858

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Sangchul Hwang is an associate professor of Civil / Environmental Engineering in Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University. He joined the faculty in 2020 after serving for 16 years as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas. He did two post-doctoral appointments: one was at the US EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory (OK) and the other at the US Army ERDC Environmental Laboratory (MS). He acquired a PhD degree from the University of Akron (OH).

Teaching Interests

Dr. Hwang is interested in teaching various environmental and water resources engineering courses: Water Treatment, Solid & Hazardous Waste Management, Low Impact Development, Soil & Groundwater Remediation, and Material Engineering.

Research Interests

Dr. Hwang’s research expertise is broadly in nature-inspired civil and environmental engineering. His current research focus is on (1) the fate, transport, and remediation of environmental contaminants (e.g., PFAS, microplastics, chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, etc.) under changing climate; (2) the upcycling of plant biomass to produce advanced materials for the improvement of water quality, sanitation, public health, and agricultural productivity; and (3) designing, optimizing, and implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Low Impact Development.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Mandal, S., & Hwang, S. S. (2023). Guar gum, a low-cost sustainable biopolymer, for wastewater treatment: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.12.039
  • Gurav, R., Mandal, S., Smith, L., Shi, S., & Hwang, S. S. (2023). The potential of self-activated carbon for adsorptive removal of toxic phenoxyacetic acid herbicide from water. Chemosphere, 339, 139715. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139715
  • Hwang, S. S., & Yeon, J. H. (2022). Fly Ash-Added, Seawater-Mixed Pervious Concrete: Compressive Strength, Permeability, and Phosphorus Removal. Materials, 15, 1407. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041407
  • Hwang, V., Masters, A., Arocho, M., & Hwang, S. S. (2017). Fly ash-amended pervious concrete pavement followed by bamboo bioretention basin with Dracaena sanderiana for urban stormwater runoff control. Construction & Building Materials, 132, 161–169.
  • Latorre, I., Hwang, S. S., Sevillano, M., & Montalvo, R. (2012). PVC Biodeterioration and DEHP Leaching by DEHP-degrading Bacteria. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 69, 73–81.

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Professional Engineer, Texas Board of Professional Engineer. July 9, 2018 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Certified Pervious Concrete Technician, NRMCA. March 6, 2016 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Tau Beta Pi, Tau Beta Pi, The Engineering Honor Society. December 2001 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Invited Talk, US EPA Region 3 Headquater. March 2017
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Professor of Civil Engineering, 2012-2013, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. May 2014

Selected Grants

  • Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Principal), Faroughi, Salah Aldin (Co-Principal), Cho, Eunsang (Co-Principal), Mandal, Sujata (Co-Principal). Multidisciplinary Research and Workforce Development on Fate and Transport of PFAS, DOE, Federal, $3520000. (Funded: April 2024 - March 2027). Grant.
  • Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Principal), Gurav, Ranjit (Co-Principal), Minifie, Jana Roberta (Co-Principal). Biologically Active Pervious Structure for Stormwater Management, NSF, Federal, $50000. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: February 2024 - January 2025). Grant.
  • Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Principal), Song, In-Hyouk (Co-Principal), Ji, Chang (Co-Principal), Mandal, Sujata (Co-Principal). Climate impact on resiliency and safety of in-situ remediation for recalcitrant contaminants, Department of Energy, Federal, $350000. (Submitted: July 2023, Funded: January 2024 - January 2025). Grant.
  • Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Principal). E. coli and nutrient reduction with Biologically Active Float, The City of Kyle, Municipal, $249264. (Submitted: March 2023, Funded: 2023 - 2025). Grant.
  • Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Principal), Song, In-Hyouk (Co-Principal), Ji, Chang (Co-Principal). Sustainable, Safe, and Climate Resilient Remediation Site Operations, Department of Energy, Federal, $319856. (Submitted: August 2022, Funded: 2023 - 2024). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Editor
Aqua - Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
December 2022-Present
Member
ISoE Annual Review Committee
September 2022-Present
Member
Plum Creek Watershed Partnership Steering Committee
December 2021-Present
Member
Plum Creek Wetlands Preserve Planning Committee
July 2021-Present
Editorial Review Board Member
Revista Internacional de Desastres Naturales, Accidentes e Infraestructura Civil (RIDNAIC)
September 2020-Present