Research Group

2025
L-R: Habeeb, Henry, Emmanuel, Anna Liddle, Anna K., Abidemi, Lune, Jamie, Maxwell

Summer 2024
L-R: Emmanuel, Adam, Taylor, Henry, Yasen (collaborator), Ryan, Matthew, Habeeb

Principal Investigator

Emmanuel Salifu

BEng Agricultural & Environmental Engineering (Summa Cum Laude), Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria. 2009

MSc. Environmental Engineering (with Distinction), University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. 2014

Dual-PhD: in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Pass with no corrections), University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. & in Geotechnical Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy. 2019

Assistant Professor | School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment -SSEBE

Senior Global Futures Scientist | Home – Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory™

Faculty | Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG)

Office: Room 124, GWC, 650 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281

Email: [email protected]

Doctoral Researchers

Adesola Habeeb Adegoke

BEng Civil Engineering (Magna Cum Laude), Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. 2018

MEng Civil Engineering (Distinction), University of Johannesburg, South Africa. 2023

PhD Focus: Mycelium-based Soil Improvement

Publications:

Nakaana, H., Adegoke, A. H., & Salifu, E., Effect of Engineered Fungi-Mycelium Growth on Soil Recovery and Erosion Resistance of Wildfire-Impacted Soils. International Conference on Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics (ICBBG 2025), Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Adegoke, A. H., Kashour, Y., Alothman, S., Zapata, C., Salifu, E., 2025. Influence of Fungal Mycelium on Desiccation Cracking in Expansive Soils. International Conference on Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics (ICBBG 2025), Tempe, Arizona, USA. https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-73

Tuckett, T., Adegoke, A. and Salifu, E., 2025. Optimizing Fungal Growth Duration and Concentrations of Cementation Solutions for Fugitive Dust Mitigation via FICP. In Geotechnical Frontiers 2025 (pp. 444-453). https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485996.042

Scott B, Zaloumis JL, Salifu E, Adegoke HA, Alaufi S, Fraser M, Kavazanjian E, Garcia-Pichel F. 2024. Abiotic crust formation in fallow agricultural desert soils through carbonate cementation reduces fugitive dust. Cambridge Prisms: Drylands. 2025;2:e3. https://doi.org/10.1017/dry.2024.5

Anna Kwablah

BSc Geological Engineering (Summa Cum Laude), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. 2022

PhD Focus: Coupled THBCM Processes in Soils

Publications:

Kwablah, A.D., Adegoke, A.H., Iyer, K.K. and Salifu, E., 2025. Hydromechanical Response of Moderately Calcareous Clayey-Sand Treated with Nutrient Additive or Cementation Solution. In 5th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils and Biotechnology applied to Geotechnical Engineering (EUNSAT2025 + BGE), E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 642, p. 05006). https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564205006

Abidemi Ajayi

BEng. Mechanical & Production Engineering (Magna Cum Laude), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.

MEng Aerospace Engineering, St. Petersburg State University, Russia. 2010

MEng Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, USA. 2023

PhD Focus: Development of Mycochar-based Sorbents

Undergraduate Researchers

Lune Martin

Sophomore, BSE Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University

FURI Scholar, Spring & Fall, 2025

Project: Myco-cides for wildfire fuels

Publications:

Martin, L., Nakaana, H. and Salifu, E., 2025. Nutrient Dynamics and Retention in Fire-Affected Soils Treated with Engineered Fungal Mycelia Growth. 2025 ASABE Annual International Meeting. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202500841

Maxwell Zhao

Sophomore, BSE Biomedical Engineering, Arizona State University

Project: MycoMed Materials

Henry Nakaana

Junior, BSE Civil Engineering, Arizona State University

FURI Scholar, Spring & Fall 2024

Project: Soil Restoration Post-wildfire

Publications:

Nakaana, H., Adegoke, A. H., & Salifu, E.*, Effect of Engineered Fungi-Mycelium Growth on Soil Recovery and Erosion Resistance of Wildfire-Impacted Soils. International Conference on Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics (ICBBG 2025), Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Anna Liddle

Junior, BSE Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University

Barret Scholar

Project: Fungi-MOFs

Visiting Researchers

Manoj Kumar

PhD Candidate, Monash University, Malaysia

Recipient of the: Monash University PhD Global Mobility Program

Visiting period: October 2025 – January 2026

Project:

Alumni

Salim Al Aufi

BSE Civil Engineering Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. 2023

Topic: Field-Scale Deployment of Enzyme Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation

Graduated: MS Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering; May 2025

Publications:

Alaufi, S., Scott, B., Salifu, E., & Kavazanjian, E. 2025. Correlation of Penetration Resistance with Erosion Resistance of EICP-treated Soil for Fugitive Dust Studies. International Conference on Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics (ICBBG 2025), Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Alaufi, S., Salifu, E., & Kavazanjian, E. 2025. Optimization of Treatment Solution for Dust Mitigation on Agricultural Land Using EICP. International Conference on Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics (ICBBG 2025), Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Scott B, Zaloumis JL, Salifu E, Alaufi, S., Adesola, H.A., Fraser, M., Kavazanjian, E., Garcia-Pichel, F*., 2024. Abiotic crust formation in fallow agricultural desert soils through carbonate cementation reduces fugitive dust. Cambridge Prisms: Drylands. Published online 2024:1-28. DOI:10.1017/dry.2024.5

Taylor E. Tuckett

BSE Civil Engineering (Magna Cum Laude), Arizona State University, Tempe AZ USA. 2023

Topic: Fungal-mediated Biomineralization

Graduated: MS Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering; December 2024

Publications:

Tuckett, T., Adegoke, A. and Salifu, E., 2025. Optimizing Fungal Growth Duration and Concentrations of Cementation Solutions for Fugitive Dust Mitigation via FICP. In Geotechnical Frontiers 2025 (pp. 444-453). https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485996.042

Salifu, E., Tuckett, T. and Yu, X., 2025. Fungal-Mycelium Biocover: A Novel Biogeotechnology for Improving Soil Resistance to Water and Wind Erosion. In Geo-EnvironMeet 2025 (pp. 1-9). https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485682.001

Current Position: Geotechnical Engineer-in-Training at HDR Seattle