"The education at Saint Vincent was rigorous with a strong emphasis on the fundamentals, particularly math and the sciences," he said. “When I moved on in my education, I felt very well prepared for projects and classes at Carnegie Mellon and MIT."

Dr. Dzombak worked for three years for the engineering firm of Paul C. Rizzo Associates, Inc., in Pittsburgh before joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University.

He has been a full professor since 1998 in the university’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, focusing on research and teaching in water quality engineering and environmental remediation.

Dr. Dzombak is also co-director of the Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems (WaterQUEST); chair of the Faculty Senate, a member of the university’s Green Practices Committee, and a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, and a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

In addition to having numerous articles published, Dr. Dzombak is also the author of Surface Complexation Modeling: Hydrous Ferric Oxide, published by Wiley-Interscience in 1990, and Cyanide in Water and Soil, CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2006.

He participates on the EPA Science Advisory Board, EPA National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology, and serves as chair of the National Research Council committee on Mississippi River and the Clean Water Act, and on the Advisory Council for the SVC School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing.

In June 2006, Dr. Dzombak was appointed associate dean for graduate and faculty affairs at Carnegie Mellon University.

"This represents a new challenge in my career,” he said, “one that focuses on faculty support, review, and the tenure process.  He and his wife Carolyn live in Pittsburgh and have three children."