The Grainger College of Engineering

Rabin Bhattarai

Rabin Bhattarai
Rabin Bhattarai
  • Associate Professor
(217) 300-0001
332 L Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building

For More Information

Education

  • PhD (Agricultural and Biological Engineering), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011
  •  MS (Water Engineering and Management), Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand), 2005 
  • BS (Civil Engineering), Tribhuvan University (Nepal), 2002

Academic Positions

  • Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2020 - Present
  • Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2014 - 2020
  • Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 2012 - 2014
  • Postdoctoral Research Scholar, North Carolina State University, Department of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, 2011 - 2012

Resident Instruction

  • ABE 457 Nonpoint Source Pollution Processes
  • ABE 152 Water in the Global Environment
  • ABE 127 Introduction to ABE

Research Interests

  • Climate-Water-Food Nexus Synthesis and Modeling
  • Erosion and Sediment Control
  • Nonpoint Source Pollution and Water Quality

Selected Articles in Journals

  • Timalsina, H., Zhou, H., & Bhattarai, R. (2025). Engineering bottom ash pellets for phosphorus removal from water: Performance evaluation and economic assessment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 226, 108650.
  • Khan, M., Bhattarai, R., & Chen, L. (2025). Discerning the elevated risk of compound extreme heat stress followed by extreme precipitation events in the socially vulnerable communities in the Upper Midwest. International Journal of Climatology, 45(9), e8868.
  • Zhou, H., Timalsina, H., Chen, P., Circenis, S., Cooke, R., Oladeji, O., Bhattarai, R., & Zheng, W. (2024). Exploring the engineering-scale potential of designer biochar pellets for phosphorus loss reduction from tile-drained agroecosystems. Water Research, 267, 122500.
  • Zhou, H., Timalsina, H., Tang, S., Circenis, S., Kandume, J., Cooke, R., Bhattarai, R., & Zheng, W. (2024). Simultaneous removal of nutrients and pharmaceuticals and personal care products using two-stage woodchip bioreactor-biochar treatment systems. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 480, 135882.
  • Jang, C., Zhou, H., Araud, E., Nguyen, T. H., & Bhattarai, R. (2024). Evaluation of woodchips-amended biosand filter for nitrate and MS2 bacteriophage reduction. Journal of Water and Health, 22(1), 138-146.
  • Gupta, R., Bhattarai, R., Dokoohaki, H., Armstrong, S. D., Coppess, J. W., & Kalita, P. K. (2023). Sustainability of cover cropping practice with changing climate in Illinois. Journal of Environmental Management, 339, 117946.
  • Zhang, Y., Bhattarai, R., & Muñoz-Carpena, R. (2023). Effectiveness of vegetative filter strips for sediment control from steep construction landscapes. Catena, 226, 107057.
  • Gupta, R., Bhattarai, R., Coppess, J. W., Jeong, H., Ruffatti, M., & Armstrong, S. D. (2022). Modeling the impact of winter cover crop on tile drainage and nitrate loss using DSSAT model. Agricultural Water Management, 272, 107862.
  • Singh, S., Negm, L., Jeong, H., Cooke, R., & Bhattarai, R. (2022). Comparison of simulated nitrogen management strategies using DRAINMOD-DSSAT and RZWQM2. Agricultural Water Management, 266, 107597.
  • Bhattarai, A., Dhakal, S., Gautam, Y., & Bhattarai, R. (2021). Prediction of nitrate and phosphorus concentrations using Machine Learning algorithms in watersheds with different landuse. Water, 13(21), 3096.

Teaching Honors

  • J.K. Mitchell Teaching Excellence Award (2018)
  • Ben and Georgeanne Jones Excellence in Teaching Award (2019)

Research Honors

  • Boyd-Scott Graduate Student Research Award (Ph.D. category), ASABE (2011)
  • Faculty Award for Research Excellence (2021)

Other Honors

  • Engineering Council Outstanding Advisor (2024)

Recent Courses Taught

  • ABE 100 - Intro Agric & Biological Engrg
  • ABE 127 - Intro Agric & Biological Engr
  • ABE 152 - Water in Global Environment
  • ABE 199 CHP - Water in the Global Environ
  • ABE 455 (ETMA 499) - Erosion and Sediment Control
  • ABE 456 - Land & Water Resources Engrg
  • ABE 457 - NPS Pollution Processes
  • ABE 498 LT6 (ABE 498 LT7) - Precision Agric Technology

Related News