Alexander Avelar

My Story

I am the Program Coordinator for the GEMS project, part of the MSIPP program. In this role, I help manage the program, build partnerships with our collaborators, and support students and faculty as we work on solutions for soil and groundwater contamination.
I earned my master’s degree in environmental Geology from Rutgers University Newark, where my research focused on contamination at former fire training areas. My thesis examined how geophysics can be used to study the transport of contaminants from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in soil. This work contributed to understanding how soil contamination can be characterized and addressed using non-invasive geophysical methods.
In the GEMS program, I work closely with graduate student fellows and our partners at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Pacific Northwest National Lab. Together, we focus on using geophysical tools to address environmental issues while training the next generation of scientists.
I’m excited to be part of this program, which brings together science, collaboration, and education to tackle real-world challenges.