Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES)
PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (Teaching/Research Assistantship)
Funding Package: Full tuition waiver + 9-month living stipend (~$24,500–$28,000 + summer support) + university health insurance covered via GTA/GRA appointments.
Fall Priority Deadline: January 15 (Fall Admission)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 80 (Speaking 20) or IELTS 6.5
MS in Earth and Environmental Sciences (Thesis Track)
Eligible for Full GTA/GRA Funding (Tuition Waiver + Stipend)
Funding Reality: UIC Earth & Environmental Sciences funds many thesis MS students directly through departmental teaching assistantships and faculty research grants.
Application Deadline: January 15
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Max Berkelhammer
Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He measures unique isotopic 'fingerprints' in water vapor and rain to track exactly where atmospheric clouds pick up their moisture—whether from Lake Michigan, local soil evaporation, or distant oceans.
Core Research Topics: Hydroclimatology, land-atmosphere water exchange, stable water isotopes, urban hydrology, drought and moisture recycling.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Deployed cavity ring-down spectroscopy across the Great Lakes and Midwestern agricultural basins to quantify evapotranspiration recycling and determine how regional warming alters rainfall patterns (NSF Hydrologic Sciences Award 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Picarro Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), eddy covariance flux towers, stable isotope mass spectrometry, Python, GIS.
Recruiting Context: Very active in urban-lake interactions and regional hydrologic flux monitoring.
Candidate Match:
HydrologyHydroclimatologyWater QualityEnvironmental Monitoring
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in stable water isotope hydrometeorology, land-atmosphere moisture exchange, and regional water cycling in the Berkelhammer Lab."
Prof. Karl Rockne
Professor of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He develops underwater 'caps' and mineral filters that seal in toxic industrial chemicals buried in lake and river mud so they do not poison fish or drinking water reservoirs.
Core Research Topics: Environmental engineering, contaminated sediment remediation, aquatic pollutant transport, bio-barrier technologies, heavy metal fate.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Investigating reactive capping mechanisms to immobilize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals in contaminated Great Lakes harbors and urban waterways, preventing bioaccumulation in benthic food webs.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Sediment column flumes, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), sorption isotherm modeling, reactive transport simulations.
Recruiting Context: Expertise in aquatic sediment contamination and transport in Midwestern waterways.
Candidate Match:
Environmental PollutionWater QualityWet Lab Environmental TestingEnvironmental Remediation
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in aquatic contaminant fate, sediment remediation, and wet-lab analytical chemistry testing in your environmental engineering group."