{"id":74999,"date":"2026-03-04T11:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=74999"},"modified":"2026-03-04T11:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:36:46","slug":"behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the research at UTC: Dr. Jejal Bathi"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_75031\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"880\" height=\"623\" data-attachment-id=\"75031\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\/jejal-bathi-research-26-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,850\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Clara Paulson\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 8&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Jejal Bathi and student Sean Kidd work Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 on research near the Chattanooga Zoo.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1772224209&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;34&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Jejal Bathi Research-26&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Jejal Bathi Research-26\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jejal Bathi and student Sean Kidd work Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 on research near the Chattanooga Zoo.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?fit=880%2C623&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-75031 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=880%2C623&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jejal Bathi smiles as he takes a reading from a creek. \" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C725&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=768%2C544&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=800%2C567&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=580%2C411&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-14-2.jpg?resize=610%2C432&amp;ssl=1 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Jejal Bathi is conducting field research at Warner Park, Chattanooga. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, research is making a difference on and off campus.<\/p>\n<p>For UC Foundation Associate Professor Jejal Bathi, making a difference means helping his community through his work in environmental and water resources engineering. A civil engineering professor working in the UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science, Bathi has studied potential solutions to emerging microplastic pollution in waterways.<\/p>\n<p>Bathi also serves as coordinator of the environmental engineering program.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">====================================================<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/tag\/behind-the-research-at-utc\/\"><strong>Click here for more \u201cBehind the research at UTC\u201d stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">====================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can you explain your research?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are exploring research in our regional context, particularly the metro-Chattanooga area, to better understand how our water systems\u2014especially the water that\u2019s making its way into rivers and lakes\u2014are doing. Are the engineering infrastructure, some people call them best management practices, helping control microplastics? If so, by how much?<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-attachment-id=\"74041\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-amy-brock-hon\/behind-the-research\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?fit=1080%2C1080&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"behind-the-research\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?fit=880%2C880&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright wp-image-74041 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Logo for the research series, including a Power C, reading &quot;Behind the Research at UTC&quot;\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=580%2C580&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=610%2C610&amp;ssl=1 610w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?resize=75%2C75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/behind-the-research.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is a research area that my team is exploring. We had the opportunity to look at multiple locations in the metro-Chattanooga area. We found some interesting things. Unfortunately, microplastics are not good. Just like anywhere in the world, we found a significant amount of microplastics in our surface waters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>When did you focus your research on microplastics?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy research area is finding environmental engineering solutions using sustainable infrastructure that address water quality and water quantity. Microplastics in water are a water quality issue. So, we are closely exploring microplastics in water. In general, we call the microplastics pollutants in the environment as emerging contaminants, similar to how PFAS are referred to in the environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExploration of microplastics research in stormwater runoff is a new area for researchers. Though plastics have been used for many decades, in recent years, especially in the last two decades or so, their production has increased significantly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout a decade ago, people figured out that microplastics are generated from plastics. Larger plastics break down through wear and tear and by environmental conditions, creating microplastics. Because of their small size, we are not able to see them easily, but they\u2019re all over our environment. People started exploring microplastics more after 2015ish, that\u2019s when I got in the early stages as well. Understanding the extent of the issue and its detrimental impacts on the ecosystem and public health, I have spent significant time identifying its sources in surface water systems and potential remediation practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_75030\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"880\" height=\"593\" data-attachment-id=\"75030\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\/jejal-bathi-research-26\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C809&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,809\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Clara Paulson\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 8&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Jejal Bathi and student Sean Kidd work Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 on research near the Chattanooga Zoo.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1772224081&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Jejal Bathi Research-26&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Jejal Bathi Research-26\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jejal Bathi and student Sean Kidd work Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 on research near the Chattanooga Zoo.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?fit=880%2C593&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-75030 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=880%2C593&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jejal Bathi and Sean Kidd stand in tall grass. \" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C690&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=768%2C518&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=800%2C539&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=580%2C391&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Jejal-Bathi-Research-26-11-1.jpg?resize=610%2C411&amp;ssl=1 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graduate student Sean Kidd assists Dr. Jejal Bathi with his research.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>At what point did you become interested in environmental engineering?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>My bachelor\u2019s degree is concentrated in chemical engineering and chemical technology. But once I started in the industry, I noticed there are other things where I can apply my engineering concepts and find solutions for real-world problems. I felt my industrial experience and conceptual knowledge from the college could be better applied in environmental engineering, which could be more impactful for the greater good of the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have always had a passion for the environment, but my focus on environmental engineering developed during my university and post-graduate years. I was successful in finishing my Ph.D. in environmental engineering, and I have a great career. So, anyone can pick up environmental engineering at any stage of their career or educational field. As the environmental engineering program coordinator here at UT Chattanooga, that\u2019s the way our program is set up\u2014which can help not only engineering majors but also non-engineering science majors pursuing our program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you always want to be an engineer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I was always interested in seeing how engineering builds solutions to solve community problems. When I figured out that environmental engineering brings me a lot closer to community, where I can apply my engineering problem-solving skills to deliver practical solutions, my interest and specialization have grown even more. I built my interest to align with a passion for environmental engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For students interested in your research or environmental engineering, how would you encourage them to pursue that path?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor students who like to find some hands-on solutions and want to see them implemented in the community, I suggest environmental engineering as a great program. Environmental engineering is not just the basic sciences; this profession takes the sciences into real-world applications that you can see implemented. Those who have a passion for the environment can definitely pursue environmental engineering. Also, environmental engineering will include those interested not only in working in an office setting but it also provides field work opportunities. Students who like to work on computers and do design will find this field a great match. In summary, those interested in the field, in the office or in the lab will find environmental engineering very well suits them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Learn more<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs\/admissions\/visit\">Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/engineering-and-computer-science\/academic-programs\/civil-engineering\">UTC Department of Civil Engineering<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/apply\">How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UC Foundation Associate Professor Jejal Bathi is making a difference by helping his community through his work in environmental and water resources engineering. A civil engineering professor working in the UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science, Bathi has studied potential solutions to emerging microplastic pollution in waterways.<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2058,"featured_media":75042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123864,15,12738,59,3,7712,52,48007],"tags":[126577,123827,123826,123033,125043,123828,126772,124776,123829,125510],"class_list":{"0":"post-74999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-campus","10":"category-civil-engineering","11":"category-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","12":"category-community","13":"category-faculty-and-staff","14":"category-graduate-school","15":"category-news","16":"category-research-academics","17":"tag-behind-the-research-at-utc","18":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","19":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","20":"tag-environmental-engineering","21":"tag-jejal-bathi","22":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","23":"tag-microplastics","24":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","25":"tag-operating-with-excellence","26":"tag-sean-kidd","27":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Behind the research at UTC: Dr. Jejal Bathi | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UC Foundation Associate Professor Jejal Bathi is making a difference by helping his community through his work in environmental and water resources engineering. 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A civil engineering professor working in the UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science, Bathi has studied potential solutions to emerging microplastic pollution in waterways.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T16:26:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T16:36:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/BathiFeature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carter Graham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"headline\":\"Behind the research at UTC: Dr. Jejal Bathi\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T16:26:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T16:36:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":825,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/BathiFeature.jpg?fit=600%2C425&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Behind the Research at UTC\",\"Creating the Mocs Experience\",\"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation\",\"Environmental Engineering\",\"Jejal Bathi\",\"Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University\",\"Microplastics\",\"Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"Sean Kidd\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"Campus\",\"Civil Engineering\",\"College of Engineering and Computer Science\",\"Community\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"Graduate School\",\"News\",\"Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/\",\"name\":\"Behind the research at UTC: Dr. Jejal Bathi | UTC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/behind-the-research-at-utc-dr-jejal-bathi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/BathiFeature.jpg?fit=600%2C425&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T16:26:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T16:36:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"description\":\"UC Foundation Associate Professor Jejal Bathi is making a difference by helping his community through his work in environmental and water resources engineering. 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