McKenna Dunmyer

McKenna is a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2020 with a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering (Environmental) and from the University of Arizona in 2023 with a Master's in Chemical Engineering. McKenna has a longstanding passion for environmental sustainability, supported by professional experience as an environmental engineer in environmental consulting and prior research on biogas production using bioreactors. She hopes to continue her career with an environmental pursuit and take on global environmental issues by bridging the gap between engineering-based research and public understanding, fostering greater awareness of how human activities endanger both planetary and human health.

McKenna's research in the KORES lab, under the supervision of Dr. Vicky Karanikola, aims to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms and energetic contributions underlying PFAS fate and transport in both environmental and biological systems. This topic is significant because inadequate remediation has led to PFAS bioaccumulation in human serum and tissues, and because the same physicochemical forces and environmental factors govern PFAS interactions with both engineered adsorbents and biological targets.