TURNING WASTE
INTO WEALTH
Built in the Great Lakes, Made for the World
Welcome to Great Lakes RENEW, a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported Regional Innovation Engine.
Our mission: The mission of the NSF Great Lakes RENEW (Recovery of Energy, Nutrients, critical Elements, and Water) Engine is to catalyze the circular blue economy in the Great Lakes region by recovering critical resources and eliminating harmful contaminants from water— securing domestic supply chains, sustaining water-intensive industry, and safeguarding vital national security assets.
Great Lakes RENEW is anchored by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub.
Our Leadership
Alaina Harkness
Chief Executive Officer & Principal Investigator, Great Lakes RENEW
Chief Executive Officer, Current
Dr. Junhong Chen
Co-Principal Investigator & Use-Inspired R&D Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, University of Chicago
Lead Water Strategist, Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Nina Dudnik
Transitions & Partnerships Integration Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Chief Commercial Officer, Current
Kalindi Parikh
Strategy & Evaluation Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Strategy Director, Current
Dr. Melissa Pierce
Technical Program Integration Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Technical Program Director, Current
Marisa Lewis
Workforce Development Integration, Great Lakes RENEW
Workforce Development Director, Current
Brian Spangle
AOR & Research Security Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Operations Director, Current
Luke Aylward
Admin & Operations Manager, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Alexis Levato
Sr. Grants & Compliance Manager, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Haylee Gemeiner
Communications Manager, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Jonathan Goodell
Commercialization & Partnerships, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Hannah Henderson
Workforce Development Manager, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Tyler Stephen
Technical Program Manager, Great Lakes RENEW & Current
Venkat Atluri
Board Chairman – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Richard Assmus
Board Secretary – Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
Brian Baker
President & CEO, Sentry Equipment
MarySue Barrett
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Randy Conner
Ex Officio – Commissioner, Chicago Department of Water Management
Michael Fassnacht
President & Chief Growth Officer, ClayCo
Dr. Joanna Groden
Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Illinois Chicago
Paul K. Kearns
Director, U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Steven Kloos
Partner, Burnt Island Ventures
Andy Martin
Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Technical Services & Innovation Center, Greeley and Hansen
Dr. Susan Martinis
Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Nadya Mason
Dean, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
Brian Perkovich
Ex Officio – Executive Director, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Dr. Eric Perreault
Vice President for Research, Northwestern University
Thru Shivakumar
Board Treasurer - CEO, cohesionIB
Dr. Jay Walsh
Interim Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation, University of Illinois
Sunny Elebua
Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Exelon
Dr. Steven Kloos
John Robinson
Dr. Lindsay Birt
Mark Bertler
Michael Reardon
Dr. Terry Mah
Dr. Yuepeng Zhang
Testbed Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Principal Materials Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. John Lenhart
Testbed Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, Ohio State University
Dr. Soryong Chae
Testbed Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, University of Cincinnati
Bryan Stubbs
Testbed Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
President & Executive Director, Cleveland Water Alliance
Dr. Brian Chaplin
R&D – Selective Separation Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago; Co-Founder, Zyvant Research & Innovations
Dr. Linda Lee
R&D – Selective Separation Challenge Lead, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, Purdue University
Dr. George Wells
R&D – Process Technology Challenge, Great Lakes RENEW
Associate Professor, Northwestern University
Dr. Daniel Zitomer
R&D – Process Technology Challenge, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, Marquette University
Dr. Tianhong
R&D – Sensing & Networks Challenge, Great Lakes RENEW
Professor, University of Minnesota
Dr. Dave Lampert
R&D – Sensing & Networks Challenge, Great Lakes RENEW
Associate Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology
David Weinstein
Industry Consortium Lead
Founder & CEO, Freshwater Advisors
Amanda Cage
Workforce Lead
CEO, National Fund for Workforce Solutions
Beth Doyle
Workforce Lead
Chief of Strategy, CAEL
Meridith Bruozas
STEM Lead
Institutional Partnerships Director, Argonne National Laboratory
Nichole Pinkard
STEM Lead
Professor, Northwestern University
Partners Sourced from Six Great Lakes States
Catalyzing the Region’s Circular Blue Economy
Great Lakes RENEW has four core functions:
Ecosystem Building
Cultivate a collaborative, cross-sector regional network that enhances the Engine’s learning and progress while strengthening the broader field.
Research & Development
Develop and deploy materials, sensors, technologies, and processes that accelerate the recovery of valuable resources from water while removing contaminants.
Technology Translation
Commercialize water tech faster by supporting startups, creating new industry pilot opportunities, and building a regional connected testbed network.
Workforce Development
Engage, educate, and train people for water jobs while creating career pathways and opportunities for all, particularly in fields tied to emerging technologies.
Our Engine’s Vision
We envision the Great Lakes region as a premier, global nexus for water innovation and industry growth, driving economic prosperity while protecting public and environmental health.
By transforming the region into the nation’s living laboratory for critical resource recovery, water quality improvements, and smarter industrial water use, RENEW will exemplify what’s possible when industry, utilities, research institutions, communities, and policymakers work together to turn water abundance into a cornerstone of long-term economic and environmental vitality.
Water Risks are
Making Headlines
Opinion: The next industrial transformation is here. Are the Great Lakes resource-ready?
The rise of AI and advanced manufacturing will dramatically increase demands on energy and water, straining existing systems. The Great Lakes region has the resources to become a global hub for water-intensive industry, but only if economic development is paired with smart resource management.
Crain’s Chicago Business
Mine smarter, waste less
Two truths are on a collision course. The US is trying to fast-track permits for about 20 new domestic mines to secure a reliable supply of critical minerals, but the mining industry perennially underinvests in innovation – the five largest mining companies spent just 0.4% of revenue on research and development on average in 2018. Both of these cannot continue to be true if the U.S. is serious about achieving critical mineral independence.
Global Mining Review
Great Lakes Water Innovation is awarded up to $160 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant
Current, the Chicago-based water innovation hub, is leading Great Lakes ReNEW, the multi-state partnership to boost Great Lakes leadership on resource recovery and the circular economy
Press Release
Chicago’s $1 Billion Water Deal Shows Great Lakes Wealth
As American states such as California grapple with harsher and more frequent droughts, the U.S. Midwest is touting its ample water supplies to spur economic growth.
Bloomberg