(Start date: January 2026)

Sahar El Abbadi, PhD (she/her), is an environmental engineer and scientist whose work focuses on evaluating and reducing the environmental impacts of water, food, and energy systems. She completed a bachelor of science in environmental engineering science from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a master of science and PhD at Stanford University. Prof. El Abbadi conducted postdoctoral research in energy science and engineering at Stanford University before moving to the Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).

Prof. El Abbadi’s research interests lie in improving measurement tools for quantifying environmental pollution, and developing models to evaluate system-level implications of field measurements. Her work includes evaluating methane sensing technologies, modeling nationwide greenhouse gas emissions and evaluating opportunities for emission reduction. Most recently, her research at LBNL established nationwide baseline greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants in the United States and highlighted the importance of implementing leak detection and repair programs to mitigate methane emissions from anaerobic digesters.

Special fields of knowledge:

• Water and wastewater treatment
• Environmental biotechnology
• Techno-economic analysis
• Environmental impact assessment

Research areas:

• Measuring greenhouse gas emissions from water, wastewater, and food systems
• Remote sensing technology validation
• Resource recovery and circular economies

Publications