Jasmine Nicole Tigiqruaq Perea

Tigiqruaq (Jasmine Perea) is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Water and Resource Science at the University of Kansas, where she focuses on co-designing sustainable wastewater and solid waste systems for Arctic communities. Her research bridges Indigenous Knowledge and environmental engineering, with an emphasis on wastewater technologies. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Public Health from Alaska Pacific University, where she helped co-develop the university’s first anaerobic digester. Now, her work centers on creating a psychrophilic microbial seed to enhance wastewater treatment and energy recovery in cold regions. A proud Ivalu and Sloan Scholar, and an alumna of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute, she is committed to opening pathways for Indigenous students in STEM and integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into engineering practice.

Her guiding question—“Who does this serve?”—grounds her research and invites others to ensure their work meaningfully serves the communities who need it most.

Mentors: Elaina Sutley, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Impact & Belonging, Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program Director, and Edward Peltier, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Professor, Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering