Faculty Profile: Dr. Jovan Kamcev – Advancing Membrane Science for a Sustainable Future
First in our junior faculty profile series, we feature the exceptional membrane research of Jovan Kamcev.
Dr. Jovan Kamcev is shaping the future of membrane science while creating an environment of growth and innovation in his lab at Michigan Chemical Engineering. In his six years with the department, he has significantly expanded his lab and cultivated a thriving community of scholars. With research focused on addressing urgent problems such as sustainable water purification and efficient energy storage, his overall objective is to deliver real-world solutions that enhance sustainability.
We sat down with him to learn more about his research and his lab.
Q: How long have you been in the department and how’s it going?
I’ve been here for almost six years now, and things are going great. Looking back, We’ve been through a lot—going through the COVID period starting my second semester here, and now navigating the current government funding issues. I’ve seen a lot in my six years at U-M, but despite the adversities, we’ve done really well. My lab has grown significantly and we currently have 11 PhD students, about 5 undergraduates, 2 postdocs, and one master’s student. So it’s almost 20 people in the lab, which is the largest it’s ever been. We’ve been publishing a lot of high-impact work, we’ve secured funding from different sources, and I recently got tenure. Overall, I’m very happy with how things are going.
Q: How have you adapted as your lab has grown?
It feels like I’ve had to rethink the way I organize the lab almost every year. This includes how we conduct one-on-one meetings, group meetings, and address different administrative tasks. Running a lab of 3-4 people is very different from managing one with 20 people. There’s a lot to learn along the way.
The scaling and growing part is something I’ve mostly learned on my own—through trial and error. Changes in how we organize meetings and relying on more senior students, who’ve been with me since almost the beginning, have helped a lot. They can take on some mentoring responsibilities, which is crucial. I also get advice from other professors like Suljo Linic, who sits right next to me and runs a slightly larger lab.
Q: What is the main emphasis of your research?
In one word: membranes. Membranes are a crucial field in chemical engineering as they incorporate all the core subjects taught to undergraduate students: thermodynamics, transport phenomena, separations, and even reactions to some extent. It’s a field where chemical engineering students can apply all these concepts. Our goal is to advance fundamental science in the membrane field while also looking towards applications and creating impactful new membranes for various uses.
In our lab, we are motivated by several applications that I categorize as either energy-based or sustainability/water-based. On the water side, we are interested in desalination and everything associated with it, like waste management from desalination processes. We’re also intrigued by brine valorization, which involves selectively extracting valuable metals from the waste, as these brines can contain precious metal ions. Membranes are ideal for this as they offer an inexpensive and energy-efficient way to achieve selectivity. Our work in resource recovery has recently grown due to the shift in government priorities towards critical materials recovery, essential for applications in areas like lithium-ion batteries.
On the energy side, we are interested in batteries and electrochemical devices, which require membranes to operate. We study flow batteries for large-scale energy storage, as well as metal-ion batteries for computers and cars, focusing on the membrane component in these technologies. We’re also exploring electrolysis, which is the process of using electricity to convert chemicals into useful products. This is becoming more viable as electricity from renewables like solar and wind becomes cheaper. All these electrochemical processes involve membranes for separation and ion transport.
Q: Where does your funding come from, and where do you see funding opportunities?
Our primary funding comes from government agencies like the NSF, which supports fundamental science. Each project focuses on the fundamental science necessary for applications like selective lithium membranes. We need to understand the molecular interactions between solutes of interest and polymers to design effective membranes, and the NSF supports that type of work. We also receive funding from the Department of Energy (DOE), both from their Basic Energy Sciences and more applied programs. One significant source is the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), a DOE desalination hub focused on practical processes and products. In addition, student fellowships, such as those from the NSF and Department of Defense, have been crucial funding sources.
While federal funding has historically been the main source for academia, we’re also looking into private foundations and industry opportunities going forward. There are a lot of opportunities there.
I’m motivated by the potential impact of our work. Developing a breakthrough membrane can influence billions of people affected by water scarcity and more. Moreover, training students to conduct fundamental research can exponentially spread our impact. By teaching, I can cultivate a new generation of researchers and professionals who can contribute to solving global challenges.
Jovan Kamcev
Q: What got you into this field, and what’s your ultimate goal for this research?
My journey began early—I started research in high school through a summer program at Columbia University, where my mom worked. Initially, I was just cleaning glassware, but soon I moved into more serious roles and fell in love with research. I applied for various non-science jobs, but they weren’t a fit for me (Starbucks didn’t think I was qualified).
I developed an interest in polymer research during my undergraduate studies, working on organic solar cells. This led me to pursue a PhD in the polymer field. At Texas, I met my advisor, Benny Freeman, who introduced me to membranes. I realized that areas like water purification and energy are long-term problems and decided to focus on them. After my PhD, I did a postdoc in chemistry, enhancing my synthesis skills, and then started my group here, combining chemistry with membrane research, which gives us control over polymer structures and allows us to perform unique chemical engineering analyses.
I’m motivated by the potential impact of our work. Developing a breakthrough membrane can influence billions of people affected by water scarcity and more. Moreover, training students to conduct fundamental research can exponentially spread our impact. By teaching, I can cultivate a new generation of researchers and professionals who can contribute to solving global challenges.
Q: Can you share your approach to teaching and curriculum development?
In undergraduate courses, I’ve taught core classes like transport phenomena, focusing on teaching fundamental chemical engineering concepts. I aim to challenge students—not to overwhelm them, but to push them to become better engineers and critical thinkers. My classes are considered some of the harder ones, but students appreciate the challenge. I tell them that being in a top program means they need to be pushed and challenged to build resilience and become better. Like an athlete reaching a professional level, they need rigorous training and challenges. It’s rewarding when students return or meet me elsewhere and express how well-prepared they were for their roles as a result of this approach.
Q: What are you most proud of in your time here?
I’m proud of our growth and the reputation we’ve built as a group. We’ve attracted funders and talented students, published high-impact papers, and even submitted patents. Our work has been recognized with national awards, both to myself and to my students. It’s gratifying seeing students recognized at conferences and securing fulfilling jobs after graduation. Importantly, we’ve established our identity—people seem to recognize us independently from my advisors, and that feels great.
Q: How do you see your research evolving in the next few years?
Our research is shifting more towards energy problems, though we began with a focus on water. There’s immense opportunity in translating knowledge from water to energy fields, as those two communities rarely overlap but use similar membrane technology. Bridging these fields is a goal. Long-term, I aim to continue building our lab’s reputation to become one of the best worldwide, ensuring students conduct important research and get the jobs they desire.