SEAS PhD student earns UB NASA New York Space Grant Award
Jada Mowatt working in the lab.
By Elizabeth Egan
Published June 16, 2025
Jada Mowatt, a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been selected as a 2024-2025 NASA/New York Space Grant Consortium: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program fellow. The distinction recognizes Mowatt and her research for close alignment with NASA’s technological goals and areas of interest.
“Receiving this award and being informed that it was because my academic performance and research closely aligned with NASA’s technological goals and areas of interest, left me feeling proud, inspired and humbled,” said Mowatt. “I am deeply grateful for the University at Buffalo, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and my nominators, who believe in my potential to continue working towards these research goals of mine and NASA's.”
Kevin Burke, associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor of teaching in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Jennfer Zirnheld, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Shanna Crump-Owens, director of UB’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), nominated Mowatt for the award.
The recognition comes with a $3,250 award, and Mowatt’s research will be highlighted with other students from the NASA consortium across the United States in NASA publications.
Lithium (Li) is a popular element, used in a variety of technology and applications, particularly Li ion batteries. Mowatt said that Li is commonly found in brine, which typically also has a high concentration of magnesium (Mg), a metal that is difficult to separate from Li due to the metals having similarly sized hydrated radii. Mowatt is working to enhance Li recovery by improving the filtration process.
Her work presents a novel, surface-modified nanofiltration (NF) membrane with chelating agents, a compound that binds tightly to metal ions, that forms strong complexes with divalent metals like Mg2+, and weak complexes with monovalent ions like Li+. Mowatt explained that this allows a higher diffusion of Li and prevents Mg from adhering to the membrane surface. Her work has achieved results where Li/Mg selectivity has increased by nearly 100x, compared to the pristine commercial nanofiltration membranes.
“I am strongly passionate about environmental justice and promoting sustainability,” said Mowatt. “Current methods of lithium recovery are very harmful to the environment. Membranes are an exciting, environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative.”
Mowatt said she is also interested in how her research may be applied to other areas, including dye or other types of pollutant removal from water, and added that pollutants are often emitted disproportionately into minority communities.
On top of her recognition from NASA, Mowatt’s work was highlighted by UB at this year’s Celebration of Academic Excellence. A video of Mowatt featured her discussing the significance of knowing that her work could be having a profound impact on the world, humanity and sustainability and how students can avoid letting imposter syndrome bring them down.
The video also highlighted Mowatt’s work as an executive student representative for the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), where she helped to pilot the first SEAS JEDI Student Ambassador Program, under the guidance of Kristen Moore, associate dean for equity and inclusion and associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education.
Mowatt is also a 2025 recipient of the GEM Fellowship, an award that enables highly qualified students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in engineering and science at universities within the GEM consortium. She is currently completing a summer internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, applying her membrane knowledge to nuclear energy.
“These awards mean so much to me as a first-generation student and a woman of color in STEM,” said Mowatt. “It's easy to let the imposter syndrome take over and feel lost throughout the journey of pursuing of a PhD. Awards like these help to confirm my placement at the University at Buffalo, SEAS, and the CBE department, and I could not be more grateful to be an awardee and make those around me proud.”
Mowatt is projected to finish her PhD in 2027. After graduating, Mowatt said that wherever her future career takes her, her goal will be to use her scientific knowledge on membranes and contaminant removal to have a positive impact on the environment, especially in neighborhoods with a predominantly low-income and minority population.
Mowatt also completed her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at UB.