Nishant Garg

For More Information

• Garg Group Website

Education

• Ph.D. in Nanoscience at Aarhus University, 2015 [PhD Advisor: Prof. Jörgen Skibsted]
• M.S. in Civil Engineering Materials at Iowa State University, 2012 [MS Advisor: Prof. Kejin Wang]
• B.E. in Civil Engineering at Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, 2010
• Diploma in Civil Engineering at Chandigarh College of Eng. & Tech., 2007

Biography

Nishant Garg is an Assistant Professor in the CEE department working on the chemistry and characterization of construction materials.

Previously, he was a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher at Princeton University where he applied X-ray and neutron scattering to characterize novel and sustainable cements. He obtained his Ph.D. in Nanoscience at Aarhus University, Denmark in 2015 where he used solid-state NMR to study cements and clay minerals. With his multi-disciplinary background in chemistry, materials science, and civil engineering he has spent his research career in developing a fundamental understanding of sustainable, durable, and environment-friendly cement-based materials.

Academic Positions

• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 10/2018 - Present
• Lecturer, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, 01/2018 - 06/2018
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, 01/2016 - 10/2018 [Postdoc Advisor: Prof. Claire White]

Research Statement

Prof. Garg's research revolves around the fundamental and nanoscale characterization of cement-based materials using various spectroscopic and scattering techniques. His research goal is to gain a thorough understanding of novel, sustainable cements using a multi-disciplinary, materials science approach.

Graduate Research Opportunities

I'm actively looking for multiple graduate students (MS & Ph.D.) to join my research group. If you're interested, please apply online and mention your interest to work with me in your formal application.

Research Interests

• Development of Low-CO2 and Sustainable Cements
• Solid Waste Management and Sustainability
• Impact of Nuclear Radiation on Concrete Microstructure
• Nano- and Atomic-scale Characterization of Cement-based Materials

Selected Articles in Journals

• Samouh, H.; Kumar, V.; Santiago, H. and Garg, N.; "Enhancing phase identification in waste-to-energy fly ashes: role of Raman spectroscopy, background fluorescence, and photobleaching." Journal of Hazardous Materials, 460, 15, 132462, 2023.
• Polavaram, K.C. and Garg, N.; "Elucidating the size and shape of individual clinker phases via Raman imaging." The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 127, 34, 17157-17170, 2023. (Featured on journal cover for August 2023 issue)
• Kabir, H. and Garg, N.; "Rapid prediction of cementitious initial sorptivity via surface wettability." npj Materials Degradation, 7, 52, 2023.
• Kumar, V. and Garg, N.; “The chemical and physical origin of incineration ash reactivity in cementitious systems.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 177:106009, 2022.
• Polavaram, K. C. and Garg, N.; “Enabling phase quantification of anhydrous cements via Raman imaging.” Cement and Concrete Research, 150:106592, 2021.

Conferences Organized or Chaired

• Co-chair of 10th Advances in Cement-based Materials Conference, of American Ceramic Society, Cements Division scheduled in Urbana, Illinois for June 2019.
• Co-organizer of the session on cementitious materials in the division of Geochemistry at 253rd American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco, California, April 2017

Professional Societies

• Member, American Society of Testing and Materials, 2022 - Present
• Member, American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), 2022 - Present
• Member, The International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM), 2021 - Present
• Member, American Concrete Institute (ACI), 2019 - Present
• Member, American Ceramic Society, 2016 - Present

Service on Department Committees

• Member, NSEL Advisory Committee (2020 - 2021)
• Member, CEE Advisory Committee (2020 - Present)
• Member, CEE Grad Affairs Committee (2020 - Present)

Teaching Honors

• Princeton ''Writing in Science & Engineering'' Teaching Fellowship (2017)

Research Honors

• Stephen Brunauer Award, American Ceramic Society (ACerS) (2021)
• Journal of European Ceramic Society (JECS) Trust Grant (2018)

Recent Courses Taught

• CEE 300 (TAM 324) - Behavior of Materials
• CEE 502 - Advanced Cement Chemistry
• CEE 595 EWS - EWES Seminar