Akhenaton-Andrew Dhafir Jones

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Jones' research uses engineering and policy analysis to help solve global challenges related to water and health. He is a 2021 recipient of the NIH R35 Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award to develop new models and tools for studying biofilms and a 2019 Sloan SEED fund award to develop new tools for point of use water quality monitoring systems. He was recognized as Young Investigator by the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State, the premier center for biofilm research in the US. He received a BS in Mathematics and BS, MS, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT where he was a Lemelson Presidential Fellow and Alfred P. Sloan MPHD Scholar. He completed post-doctoral training as a Future Faculty Fellow at Northeastern University. He has directly supervised 2 high school students, over 20 undergraduates, 5 MS, 5 PhD, and 2 post-doctoral trainees including 8 from underrepresented backgrounds and 19 women. He and his team have presented at over 40 conferences and seminars. He served as a Pratt Coaching 360 advisor and Duke UCEM Faculty Champion for Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010
  • M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014
  • Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018

Research Interests

Biofilms, cardiovascular infections, infectious diseases, biomaterials, antibiotics, porous media flows, fate and transport of nanomaterials in biofilms, water quality sensors, environmental systems analysis, environmental equity, environmental justice

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. Cell Press . 2021
  • Post-doctoral Student Award. The American Institute of Chemist. 2019
  • Young Investigator Award. Montana State University Center for Biofilm Engineering. 2018

Courses Taught

  • CEE 301L: Fluid Mechanics
  • CEE 560: Environmental Transport Phenomena
  • CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 701: Graduate Colloquium
  • EGR 101L: Engineering Design and Communication

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Prince, Joshua, and A-Andrew D. Jones. “Heterogenous Biofilm Mass-Transport Model Replicates Periphery Sequestration of Antibiotics in P. aeruginosa PAO1 Microcolonies.” Biorxiv, July 29, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.28.551018.
  • Razgaleh, Sara A., Andrew Wrench, and Akhenaton-Andrew D. Jones. “Surface Energy and Viscoelastic Characteristics of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Cutibacterium acnes Biofilm on Commercial Skin Constructs versus Agar.,” February 15, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.02.10.527933.
  • Jones, A-Andrew D., and Cullen R. Buie. “In situ continuous electrochemical quantification of bacterial adhesion to electrically polarized metallic surfaces under shear.” Biointerphases 17, no. 2 (March 2022): 021001. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0001585.
  • Cohen, Susan E., Sara M. Hashmi, A-Andrew D. Jones, Vasiliki Lykourinou, Mary Jo Ondrechen, Srinivas Sridhar, Anne L. van de Ven, Lauren S. Waters, and Penny J. Beuning. “Adapting Undergraduate Research to Remote Work to Increase Engagement.” Biophysicist (Rockville, Md.) 2, no. 2 (September 2021): 28–32. https://doi.org/10.35459/tbp.2021.000199.
  • Medina-Cruz, David, Ada Vernet-Crua, Ebrahim Mostafavi, María Ujué González, Lidia Martínez, A-Andrew D Jones Iii, Matthew Kusper, et al. “Aloe Vera-Mediated Te Nanostructures: Highly Potent Antibacterial Agents and Moderated Anticancer Effects.” Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) 11, no. 2 (February 2021): 514. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11020514.