Environmental Engineering
Dr. Andrey Ethan Rubin has recently finished his Ph.D. from Zucker Lab working on the “Transformation and Toxicity of Micro- and Nano-Plastic in Aquatic Environments, and joined Gilbertson Lab in April 2024. Andrey is currently focused on the application of organic-based photocatalytic nanomaterials, such as graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), for disinfection and the conversion of greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals like ethanol and methanol through solar irradiation as a sustainable solution. Outside the lab, Andrey likes to spend his time gardening and making homemade pizza.
Membership/Activities in Academic and Scientific Societies:
[2024–currently]: Environmental Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society.
[2024–currently]: Catalysis Science & Technology, American Chemical Society.
[2024–currently]: Sustainable Energy and Environment Subdivision, American Chemical Society.
[2023–currently]: The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC).
Reviewer:
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Environmental Science: Nano
ACS ES&T Water
RSC Advances
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A
Appointments and Affiliations
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact Information
- Office Location: Wilkinson 233
- Email Address: Andrey.rubin@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- M.Sc. (Cum laude, 2016-2018) and Ph.D. (2019-2024), Environmental Sciences, Porter School of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Vaadia-BARD Postdoctoral Fellowship: United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (2025)
- Civil and Environmental Engineers (CEE) Strategic Internal Investment (2025)
- Green Talents Awardee: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research-BMBF (2022)
In the News
Representative Publications
- Carter, L. J., Adams, B., Berman, T., Cohen, N., Cytryn, E., Elder, F. C. T.,…Rubin, A. E., & Chefetz, B. (2025). Co-contaminant risks in water reuse and biosolids application for agriculture. Environmental Pollution, 126219.
- Saraceni, A.*, Rubin, A. E.*, Wexler, Y., Gothilf, Y., Bovolin, P., & Zucker, I. (2025). Simulated Environmental Nanoplastics Induce Zebrafish Developmental Toxicity and Stress Response. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. ASAP article.
- Dawas, A.*, Rubin, A. E.*, Sand, N., Mordechay, E. B., Chefetz, B., Mordehay, V., ... & Zucker, I. (2024). Negligible Adsorption and Toxicity of Microplastic Fibers in Disinfected Secondary Effluents. Environmental Pollution. Volume 356.
- Rubin, A. E, Gnaim R., S. Levi, Zucker, I. (2023) Risk assessment framework for microplastic in marine environments. Science of the Total Environment. Volume 901.
- Rubin, A. E., Omeysi, l., Zucker, I. (2022). Mediterranean microplastic contamination: Israel’s coastline contributions. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Volume 183.
- Gavriely, S., Gulakhmedova, T., Yecheskel, Y., Rubin, A. E., Xing, B., Richter, S., & Zucker, I. (2022). Slow release of copper from jellyfish-based hydrogels for soil enrichment. NanoImpact. Volume 27.
- Rubin, A. E., & Zucker, I. (2021). Interactions of microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A case study of augmented joint toxicity. Chemosphere. Volume 289.
- Sarkar, A. K.*, Rubin, A. E.*, & Zucker, I. (2021). Engineered Polystyrene-Based Microplastics of High Environmental Relevance. Environmental Science & Technology. Volume 55.
- Rubin, A. E., Sarkar, A. K., & Zucker, I. (2021). Questioning the suitability of available microplastics models for risk assessment–A critical review. Science of The Total Environment. Volume 788.
- Wu, M., Rubin, A. E., Dai, T., Schloss, R., Usta, O. B., Golberg, A., & Yarmush, M. (2021). High-Voltage, Pulsed Electric Fields Eliminate Pseudomonas aeruginosa Stable Infection in a Mouse Burn Model. Advances in Wound Care. Volume 10.
- Rubin, A. E., Levkov, K., Usta, O. B., Yarmush, M., & Golberg, A. (2019). IGBT-based pulsed electric fields generator for disinfection: Design and in vitro studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Annals of biomedical engineering. Volume 47.
- Rubin, A. E., Usta, O. B., Schloss, R., Yarmush, M., & Golberg, A. (2019). Selective inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis with pulsed electric fields and antibiotics. Advances in Wound Care. Volume 8.