Kura Duba

Kura Duba always wanted to be an engineer but wasn’t sure in which field.

“As a chemical engineering student, I took an introductory environmental engineering course, and I immediately knew I’d found the right path,” he says.

Duba is an associate professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

Before joining the Fulton Schools, he was an associate professor at East Carolina University, a postdoctoral associate at Duke University and a lecturer at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of North Carolina.

Duba develops algae-based technologies that provide sustainable solutions for water, energy, food and environmental challenges.

Currently, he’s focusing on creating algae-based wastewater treatment systems that remove pollutants while recovering valuable resources and producing algal biomass, then converting that biomass into high-value bioproducts through efficient, economically viable processes.

“I was initially drawn to ASU because of the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation, whose world-class infrastructure and capabilities closely align with my research goals,” Duba says. “As I learned more about ASU, I became equally impressed by its global reach and commitment to innovation and sustainability.”

One achievement he’s especially proud of is leading the development of a sustainable, zero-waste desalination system while at East Carolina University as part of a multidisciplinary, multi-university research project supported by a University of North Carolina Research Opportunities Initiative grant.

“What makes this achievement most meaningful is its impact on people,” Duba says. “The project provided research and mentoring opportunities for 38 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees, many of them first-generation college students. Seeing them grow into confident researchers and professionals has been so rewarding.”

The Fulton Schools values that resonate most with him are delivering innovation that matters and fostering a community of learning and collaboration.

“I put these values into practice by pursuing research that addresses societal challenges through collaborations with colleagues, students and external partners,” he says.

Duba will teach environmental engineering courses at ASU.

“My goal is for students to leave my classes with more than technical knowledge,” he says. “I want them to become independent learners and effective team members.”

Outside the classroom, Duba loves soccer, has a U.S. Soccer Federation Grassroots Coaching License, and says those coaching principles influence how he teaches and mentors students.

Written by Lisa Irish