Dr. Ellie Fini is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, an Invention Ambassador at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fulbright Scholar of Aalborg University of Denmark, a Senior Sustainability Scientist at the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation and Director of the Innovation Network for Materials, Methods and Management. Her research focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, and atomistic modeling of novel materials to promote the sustainability and health of civil infrastructure.
In addition to more than 200 scholarly publications and numerous invited talks, her research has been featured by BBC Women in STEM, Science Nation, Wired Magazine, and CNBC. She is editor of the ASCE Journal of Materials and Journal of Resources, Conservation & Recycling. She has served as the president of ASCE’s North Carolina Northern Branch and a program director of the National Science Foundation. Her achievements have been recognized via multiple awards including an NSF CAREER award, ASEE Gerald Seeley award, BEYA Emerald STEM Innovation award, NC BioTech Research Excellence award and WTS Innovative Transportation Solution award to name a few.
Built Environment and Health, Human-centered Design, Building Decarbonization, Air Quality, Sustainable Construction, Roofing Products, Adhesives and Sealants, Bio-based and Bio-inspired Materials, Multi-scale Characterization and Modeling, Surface and Interface Characterization
Publications
Featured Publications
Mousavi, M., S. Aldagari, and E. H. Fini, 2023, Adsorbing Volatile Organic Compounds within Bitumen Improves Colloidal Stability and Air Quality, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 11 (26): 9581–9594, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c00539
Pahlavan, F, A. Lamanna, K., Park, S.K. Kabir, J-S. Kim, and E. H. Fini, 2022, Phenol-rich bio-oils as free-radical scavengers to hinder oxidative aging in asphalt binder, Journal of Resources, Conservation & Recycling, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106601
Mousavi M., A. H. Hung, and E. H. Fini, 2021, Sustainability Implications of Regenerative Sulfur Blooms in Bituminous Composites, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03329
Oldham, D., A. Rajib, K. Dandamudi, Y. Liu, Sh. Deng, and E. H. Fini, 2020, Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil to Produce A Sustainable Rejuvenator for Aged Asphalt, Journal of Resources, Conservation & Recycling, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105297
Oldham, D., A. I. Rajib, A. Onochie, and E. H. Fini, 2019, Evolution of Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Containing Bio-Modified Shingles After Aging and Extended Sub-Zero Conditioning, Journal of Construction and Building Materials, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.017
Pahlavan, F., A. I. Rajib, E. H. Fini, 2020, Using the Synergy between Lipid-rich and Protein-rich Biomass to Synthesize Effective Bio-Rejuvenators for Oxidized Asphaltenes, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c01100. (Featured on the cover page of the journal)
Mousavi, M., S. Aldagari, M. Crocker, L. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz, E. H. Fini, 2022, Iron-Rich Biochar to Adsorb Volatile Organic Compounds in Asphalt Emissions, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06292
Hung, A., M. Li, G. Wu, and E. H. Fini, 2023, Effects of Liquified Waste Plastics on Chemical and Rheological Properties of Bitumen, Journal of Transportation Engineering: Part B, Pavements https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3979969
Shariati, S., A. I. Rajib, M. S. Crocker, Laura K. G. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz, V. Martis, Elham H. Fini, 2022, Bio-grafted Silica to Make an Asphalt Road a Sink for Reactive Environmental Pollutants, Environmental Pollution, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120142
Pahlavan, F, S. Aldagari, K. Park, J-S. Kim, and E. H. Fini, 2023, Bio-Carbon as a Means of Carbon Management in Roads, Advanced Sustainable Systems (featured on the back cover of the journal), https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202300054
Pahlavan, F, H. Yazdani and E. H. Fini, 2023, Soil Amended with Algal Biochar Reduces Mobility of Deicing Salt Contaminants in the Environment: An Atomistic Insight, Chemosphere, Volume 323, 138172, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138172
Kazemi, M., H. Wang, E. H. Fini, 2022, Bio-based and nature inspired solutions: A step toward carbon-neutral economy, Journal of Road Engineering, 2(3): 221-242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jreng.2022.08.001
Aldagari, S., F. Kabir, A. Lamanna, E. H. Fini, 2022, A comparative study on efficacy of waste plastic and waste Rubber in bitumen, Construction and Building Materials 325(2):126724, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126724
Shariati, S., P. Hajikarimi, M. Rahi, R. Kazemi, M. S. Entezari, and E. H Fini, 2022, Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Air-Blown Bitumen Using Physisorption, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 10(48): 15767–15776, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c04522,
Rajib, A.I., Pahlavan, F., E. H. Fini, 2020, Investigating Molecular-Level Factors That Affect the Durability of Restored Aged Asphalt Binder, Journal of Cleaner Production. doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122501
Hung, A., M. Mousavi; E. H. Fini, 2020, Implication of Wax on Hindering Self-Healing Processes in Bitumen, Applied Surface Science, doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.146449.
Fini, E., A. I. Rajib, D. J. Oldham, A. Samieadel, Sh. Hosseinnezhad, 2020, Role of Chemical Structure and Composition of Recycling Agents on Their Interactions with Oxidized Asphaltene Molecules, ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 32:9. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003352
Oldham, D., X. Qu, H. Wang, and E. H. Fini, 2020. Investigating Change of Polydispersity and Rheology of Crude Oil and Bitumen Due to Asphaltene Oxidation. Energy & Fuels, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c01344
Hung, A., and E. H. Fini, 2020, Surface Morphology and Chemical Mapping of UV-Aged Thin Films of Bitumen, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03877
Oldham, D., and E. H. Fini, 2020. A bottom-up approach to study the moisture susceptibility of bio-modified asphalt, Construction and Building Materials, 265:120289, doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.120289
Fini, E., A. Samieadel, A. I., Rajib, 2020, Moisture Damage and Its Relation to Surface Adsorption/Desorption of Rejuvenators, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 59 (30): 13414–13419. doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.0c02534
Zhou, T., Sk. F. Kabir, L. Cao, H. Luan, Z. Dong, E. H. Fini, 2020, Comparing effects of physisorption and chemisorption of bio-oil onto rubber particles in asphalt, Journal of Cleaner Production, 273:123112, doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123112
Hung, A. M, F. Pahlavan, Sh. Shakiba, Sh. L. Y. Chang, S. M. Louie, E. H. Fini, 2019, Preventing Assembly and Crystallization of Alkane Acids at Silica-Bitumen Interface to Enhance Interfacial Resistance to Moisture Damage, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 58(47): 21542-21552. doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b04890
Kabir, Sk, M. Mousavi, E. H. Fini, 2019, Selective Adsorption of Bio-oils’ Molecules onto Rubber Surface and Its Effects on Stability of Rubberized Asphalt, Journal of Cleaner Production, 252(10):119856, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119856
Høgsa, B., T. H. Pedersen, M. Mousavi, A. M. Hung, E. A. Jensen, D. Yu, J. Christiansen, C. G. Sanporean, E. H. Fini, 2019, Multiscale Characterization of a Wood-Based Biocrude as a Green Compatibilizing Agent for High-Impact Polystyrene/Halloysite Nanotube Nanocomposites, ACS Omega, 4, 22, 19934-19943, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.9b02871
Hajikarimi, P., A. Onochie, and E. Fini, 2019, Characterizing Mechanical Response of Bio-Modified Bitumen at Sub Zero Temperatures, Construction and Building Materials, 240(20):117940
Hosseinnezhad, Sh, Sh. Shakiba, M. Mousavi, S. M. Louie, S. R. Karnati, E. H. Fini, 2019, Multi-scale Evaluation of Moisture Susceptibility of Bio-Modified Bitumen, ACS Applied Biomaterials, 2(12): 5779-5789, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.9b00765
Pahlavan, F., Sh. Hosseinnezhad, A. Samieadel, A. Hung, and E. H. Fini, 2019, Fused Aromatics To Restore Molecular Packing of Aged Bituminous Materials, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 58(27):11939-11953, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b01397
Hosseinnezhad, Sh., S. F. Kabir, D. J. Oldham, M. Mousavi, E.H. Fini, 2019, Surface Functionalization of Rubber Particles to Reduce Phase Separation in Rubberized Asphalt for Sustainable Construction, Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.219
Hung, A. and E. H. Fini, 2019, Absorption Spectroscopy to Determine the Extent and Mechanisms of Aging in Bitumen and Asphaltenes, Fuel 242, 408-415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2019.01.085
Mousavi, M., B. Høgsaa, E. H. Fini, 2019, Intermolecular Interactions of Bio-modified Halloysite Nanotube within High-Impact Polystyrene and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene, Applied Surface Science, 473:750-760. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169433218334895
Zadshir, M., Sh. Hosseinnezhad, E. H. Fini, 2019, Deagglomeration of Asphaltene Nano-aggregates As A Measure of True Rejuvenation, Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.090
