I am currenty the Grant Program Manager in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and for the South Central Sun Grant Program and the Biobased Products and Energy Center at OSU. I am also teaching at the Environmental Science Undergraduate Program. I am a holder of a B.S. degree in Agriculture from the Visayas State College of Agirculture (now Visayas state University in Leyte, Philippines), M.S. degree in Botany from the University of the Philippines, and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the North Carolina State University.

Research Interests:

Plant Ecophysiology

Dr. Sara Alian is an Teaching Assistant Professor at the department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. She has over 14 years of experience in geospatial science applications in natural resource management and geospatial science education. Her expertise is in the areas of geospatial sciences, GIS technology, and remote sensing to inform resource management decisions, including land, water, and forest management. She developed a new course entitled "GIS for Water Resources" (BAE 4323/BAE 5323) in response to increasing demand for geospatial analysis skills in the job market and research projects. Th course cover various aspects of geographic information system (GIS) applications in water resources. 

Dr. Alian has worked on interdisciplinary projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Great Lakes Protection Fund, and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to generate new information, geospatial data, and insights for sustainable biofuel feedstock management and production of biofuel feedstocks, to evaluate ecological water stress in the Great Lakes Region, and New Mexico-Texas-Mexico border region. She is currently collaborating on a USGS funded project examining environmental flows in the water scarce region.

Research Interests:

• Applications of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and spatial modeling in natural resources management
• Geospatial science and technology education

Dr. Hasan Atiyeh is a Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and has broad academic and industrial experience in bioprocess engineering, fermentation, carbon capture, reactor design, hydrogen production, and process scale-up. Dr. Atiyeh has published over 65 journal articles, three book chapters, and delivered 200+ presentations. He holds four U.S. patents and 13 additional applications. His research has received over $5.7 million in funding from agencies including NSF, USDA-NIFA, EPA, Sun Grant, OCAST, NSERC, KACST, and SABIC. He is a senior member of AIChE, and a member of ASABE and ASEE, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada.

Research Interests: Dr. Atiyeh’s research focuses on the development of innovative conversion technologies for the production of fuels and chemicals, supporting key sectors such as energy, biotechnology, food, chemical, and environmental industries. His work emphasizes:

• Bioprocess development for converting gases, sugars, and waste materials into biofuels and biochemicals
• Utilization of novel microorganisms and biocatalysts
• Process modeling, simulation, reactor design, and scale-up
• Carbon capture and utilization
• Water treatment, reuse, and minimizing water use in processing

His research integrates lab experimentation with process modeling to pioneer sustainable solutions. His team is a leader in the development of hybrid gasification–syngas fermentation technologies and other cutting-edge bioconversion processes at OSU, with the goal of advancing the biorefinery industry as a complement to the petroleum-based economy.

I am currently the department head of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University, and started my new responsibilities and role in January 2021. Prior to joining Oklahoma State, I was a Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University and had established a well-recognized research program in development of integrated biomass production and conversion systems for biofuels and bioproducts since joining that faculty in 2003. I completed my BS (1998) in Biological Systems Engineering at UC Davis and earned my MS (2000) and PhD (2003) in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Kentucky. I have led and collaborated on several multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional projects securing over $11.5 million dollars in funding prior to 2021 and supported an active team of research associates, post-doctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers. I provided instruction for undergraduate and graduate education and through academic, research, and student organization advising have mentored students on the importance of professional development, leadership, teamwork, interpersonal communication, life-long learning, and commitment to civic service. As an extension of my research activities, I engaged in multiple outreach opportunities with constituencies outside the university including local, regional, national and international stakeholders.

Research Interests:

I continue to support a well-recognized, functioning program in biological engineering with an emphasis in bioprocessing and bioproducts that integrates both lab and field operations and is relevant, dynamic and engaging to the constituents within the southeastern US, nationally and in some cases internationally. My research program involves the production of biofuels and value-added products from renewable biomass and I have initiated projects as the lead PI that range from basic to applied research and that encompass a number of different bioprocess engineering expertise areas, including aerobic and anaerobic fermentation technology, enzymatic hydrolysis, extraction, analytical and near-infrared spectrophotometric method development, gasification, reactor design, instrumentation and control, biomass harvest, storage and scale-up operations. I have experience assembling multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research teams and developing large grants to address bioenergy and energy sustainability challenges related to biomass feedstock improvement, biomass production and supply chain development, biofuel and bioproducts processing, on-farm systems, and environmental, economic and life cycle impact of bioenergy systems. My experience and training in engineering, and the life and agricultural sciences has allowed me to effectively interface with ag/life scientists and engineers, identify unique opportunities for collaboration and synthesize innovative directions to solve real problems. The applied aspects of my research program have given me broad perspectives in engaging stakeholders and farmers while appreciating their needs in the development of useful solutions and technologies. In addition to research, many of the large proposals I have led and participated in involve development of educational and extension programming.

Dr. Datta works as an Assistant Professor and Irrigation Engineer in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His appointment is split between research (75%) and teaching (25%), specializing in the development and application of smart-engineered technologies (soil moisture sensors and canopy temperature sensors) for irrigation water management for major crops in Oklahoma. His major focus is on leveraging data analytics from sensors, models, and AI (ML/DL) to develop packaged irrigation management solutions for farmers.

Since joining OSU in June of 2023, his research funding amounted to $10,303,696 with $877,490 being awarded to his program, as of 11/1/2025. He has attracted funding from federal agencies (USDA NIFA AFRI), state agencies (Oklahoma Mesonet, OSU RRI, etc.), crop commodity groups (Cotton Incorporated), and industries.

Although Dr. Datta does not have Extension appointment, he participates in Extension field days, in-service trainings, and Master Irrigator Program and conducts irrigation uniformity tests in Oklahoma panhandle and western Oklahoma, and published Extension Factsheets to convey research results to farmers in Oklahoma.

Dr. Datta teaches AST4203/5200 Agricultural Water Management course and has developed one new course on advanced techniques in irrigation water management (BAE 5030). He has participated in various student recruitment events. He has mentored a total of 15 graduate and undergraduate students.

Research Interests:

1. Irrigation Engineering
2. Irrigation Water Management
3. Machine Learning in Irrigation Management
4. Hydrological Impacts of Irrigation Water Use
5. Development of Packaged Irrigation Management Modules

Developed Tool for Oklahoma Farmers to Manage Irrigation:

• Oklahoma Agricultural Scientific Irrigation Scheduler - OASIS tool: https://irrigation.okstate.edu 

Personal Lab Website: https://sumondatta.faculty.bio/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumondatta/  

Dr. Frazier joined the department in June 2008 and currently has a teaching and extension appointment. He comes from the OSU Industrial Engineering Department where he was a visiting assistant professor teaching both upper division and graduate-level IEM courses. He was also the Assistant Director of the OSU Industrial Assessment Center. His Extension, Teaching and Applied Research focus on energy and resource management in the agricultural and commercial/industrial sector. He is involved in extension activities that educate stakeholders in residential and commercial energy usage, biofuel technologies and sustainability. A major focus since 2015 has been the energy and water delivery efficiency of irrigation systems in Oklahoma. In conjunction with resource management he conducts Life Cycle Assessment studies to determine the sustainability of various ag-processes and products. He also teaches university classes on engineering fundamentals and energy systems.

Research Interests:

Energy Management
Renewable Energy Systems
Life Cycle Assessment
Irrigation Efficiency
Decision Science

Dr. Keighobad (KJ) Jafarzadegan is an assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University.  His appointment includes research and extension on characterization, modeling, and management of hydrological extremes. Dr. Jafarzadegan's research focuses on enhancing the predictive capabilities of models used for simulating hydrological extremes, developing flood and drought forecasting tools, modeling coupled human-hydrological systems, and quantifying the hazard, vulnerability, and risk across various scales.  In collaboration with the Oklahoma Water Resources Center,  Dr. Jafarzadegan's extension program aims to enhance the resilience of local communities to droughts and floods by raising awareness, developing advanced user-friendly tools, and devising hazard mitigation strategies. To properly address these research questions, Dr. Jafarzadegan's lab utilizes a wide range of tools including Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic models, Data Assimilation and Machine Learning techniques, Satellite remote sensing data, and statistical methods. Before joining OSU, Dr. Jafarzadegan was a senior research associate at the University of Alabama. He received his PhD from Purdue University's School of Civil Engineering in 2019.

Research Interest:

Hydrological Extremes Modeling

Flood and Drought Forecasting

Hazard, Vulnerability, and Risk Assessment 

Coupled human-hydrological system modeling

Integrated Water Resources Management 

Kiranmayi Mangalgiri is an Assistant Professor in Water Quality at the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in Oklahoma State University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of determining the occurrence and fate of priority organic contaminants of emerging concern in natural and engineered systems, and the development and design of treatment systems for contaminant mitigation in water and waste streams, particularly to facilitate safe and sustainable water reuse and resource recovery.

Kiranmayi received her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India, where she first got involved in environmental research in her junior year. She holds a master's degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University (2012), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from University of Maryland Baltimore County (2017). Her doctoral dissertation investigated the photolytic fate of agriculturally relevant antibiotics in natural and engineered systems. Her efforts in research have been recognized by the American Chemical Society through the Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student Award. She is the recipient of the 2019-2021 University of California Riverside Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her project, at the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering was conducted in collaboration with Orange County Water District to investigate the application of advanced oxidation processes in potable water reuse systems. She was features by the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP) in the inaugural Future Faculty Series (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC9cIgS9qEI).

As a PhD student and postdoctoral scholar, Kiranmayi has mentored more than 15 undergraduate and graduate students. Her informational video on what environmental engineers do, developed in collaboration with fellow graduate students, was awarded first place in the 2015-2016 student video competition by the AEESP, and has more received than 144,700 views (combined, as of August 2021) on YouTube (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUT8zya53Vg).

Water Reuse

Wastewater Treatment

Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Environmental Fate and Transoport

Advanced Oxidation Processes

Photodegradation
Water Quality

Drinking Water Treatment

Nutrient Recovery

Circular Systems

Emerging Contaminants

Trace Organic Contaminants

PFAS

PPCPs

Environment
Sustainability
Water Chemistry

Dr. Ali Mirchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU). He also serves as Associate Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, a federally authorized institute under the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 dedicated to supporting informed water management through impactful research, education, and outreach that connects science with communities to address pressing water challenges. Dr. Mirchi teaches courses in various areas of water resources engineering and management. His interdisciplinary water resources research program and outreach efforts have guided water policies and management interventions to support sustainable food, feed, and fiber production amid mounting challenges posed by urbanization, irrigation expansion, fragile ecosystems, and hydrologic intensification. He applies systems thinking, systems analysis techniques, geographic information systems (GIS), simulation, and optimization modeling to advance understanding of coupled human–natural systems at different scales. He has received OSU’s Ferguson College of Agriculture’s James A. Whatley Award for Meritorious Research in Agricultural Sciences, the American Water Resources Association’s Icko Iben Multidisciplinary Communications Award, and the Early Career Award for Applied Research from the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR). Prior to joining OSU, Dr. Mirchi was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Research Interests:

Watershed modeling and systems analysis for water resources planning, management, and decision making

Climate impact assessment and adaptation to extreme events (e.g., droughts and floods)

Coupled human-natural systems and sustainable development

Water quality management and policy

Dr. Bob Zeng is a machinery systems engineer whose research advances agricultural equipment design through the integration of digital modeling, soil–machine interaction analysis, and experimental validation. His work focuses on understanding the mechanics governing interactions among soil, crop residues, seeds, and machinery components, and translating those insights into improved machine performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

A central theme of Dr. Zeng’s research is the development of computational frameworks—particularly discrete element modeling (DEM) and multiphysics simulation—to create predictive representations of soil–machine–biomaterial systems. By combining numerical modeling with controlled soil bin experiments and field evaluation, he establishes validated digital environments that support virtual prototyping, performance optimization, and design verification of agricultural equipment.

His research places strong emphasis on precision agriculture applications, including variable-rate input systems, manure injection technologies, tillage optimization, and residue management. Through systems-level integration of mechanics, sensing, and operational strategy, Dr. Zeng seeks to enhance input efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve decision-making in modern production systems operating under increasingly variable field conditions.

Looking forward, Dr. Zeng aims to advance digital twin–enabled agricultural machinery systems that integrate modeling, sensing, and data analytics for real-time performance optimization. His long-term vision includes expanding virtual design and verification capabilities, developing AI-assisted modeling frameworks, and strengthening industry–university collaboration to accelerate innovation in precision agricultural machinery.

The Zeng Lab is recruiting funded MSc & PhD students for Fall 2026.
Prospective students are encouraged to review the full recruitment announcement, including research areas and application instructions, at the link here.