Mackenzie Bowden

  • ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Mackenzie Bowden Headshot

Mackenzie is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Engineering with a Certificate in Global Engineering through the Mortensen Center. She has led global engineering initiatives including sustainable water resource management with Profugo in Prashanthagiri, India through Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL), rural energy access with Resource Exchange International in Malang, Indonesia, and WASH infrastructure with Catholic Relief Services in Toamasina, Madagascar. She also established an independent Fulbright Research Project across Indonesia with Institut Pertanian Bogor and PT Swen Inovasi Transfer to develop alternative feedstocks for anaerobic digestion benefiting rural subsistence farmers.

Mackenzie is excited to be part of the Mortenson Center to explore water quality challenges through the lens of emerging contaminant mixtures that affect both human and environmental health. Outside of research, Mackenzie enjoys exploring national parks, capturing nature through the lens of her camera, and discovering new coffee spots wherever she travels. 

Education

  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Villanova University, 2018
  • M.S. in Sustainable Engineering (International Development Track), Villanova University, 2022

Publications

  • Navarro, K. M.; Bowden, M.; Aguilera, R.; Xiang, J.; Jones, B. M.; Aguilar, C.; Zhou, Y.; Johnson, N. M.; Nigra, A. E.; Jia, C.; Tang, X.; Hu, X.; Black, M. S.; Bell, M. L.; Hammond, S. K.; Martyny, J. W.; Adetona, O.; DeRoos, A. J.; Peel, J. L.; Miller, S. L.; Magzamen, S.; Borch, T. Combustion Byproducts of Individual Materials Characteristic of the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) Display Unique Chemical and Toxicological Profiles That Are Masked in Aggregate Samples. Environ. Sci. Technol.2025, 59 (7), 2767–2780. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c02148
  • Norwood, M. J.; Navarro, K. M.; Bowden, M.; McKenna, A. M.; Preston, D.; Jones, B. M.; MacDonald, L. H.; Borch, T. Occurrence of Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids in Ash and Streamwater after the Cameron Peak Fire. ACS ES&T Water2023, 3 (7), 1347–1357. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.3c00246