Dr. Elkhatib received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, RI. Her research focused on studying microplastic contamination in water and marine environments, developing extraction methods to identify microplastics, and analyzing their polymer composition using spectroscopy. Research objectives included electrocoagulation and flocculation as removal solutions, to prevent adverse health impacts of microplastics. Before joining the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in August 2022, Dr. Elkhatib taught various civil and environmental engineering courses at Roger Williams University and Webb Institute. Her research interests include Water and Wastewater Technologies, Sustainable Engineering, and Microplastic contamination.

Courses Taught

• Environmental Engineering I, Lecture and Lab
• Environmental Engineering II, Lecture
• Coastal Resiliency, Lecture
• Mechanics of Materials, Lecture
• Environmental Engineering Design Capstone Advisor

Professional Certifications and Memberships

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE)
• ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd)

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Elkhatib, Dounia, and Oyanedel-Craver, Vinka. “A Critical Review of Extraction and Identification Methods of Microplastics in Wastewater and Drinking Water.” Environmental Science & Technology 54.12 (2020): 7037-049.
• Elkhatib, D.; Carissimi, E.; Craver, V. (2020). “Removal of Microplastic at Wastewater Treatment Plants using Electrocoagulation Process.” Elsevier B.V. Separation and purification technology, 2021, Vol.276, p.118877
• Elkhatib, Dounia; Cashman, Michaela A.; Ho, Kay T.; Burgess, Robert M. “Assessment of Microplastics contamination in Estuary and Marine Sediments.” SciCon2 2020 SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting – November 2020.
• Assessment of Filter Subsampling and Extrapolation for Quantifying Microplastics in Marine Sediments using Raman Spectroscopy. D El Khatib, TD Langknecht, MA Cashman, RM Burgess, KT Ho. North Atlantic Chapter 28th Annual Meeting and Short Course- June 2022
• Carissimi, E.; Elkhatib, D.; Rodrigues, C. and Craver, V. (2019). Flocculation: Mechanisms and Applications for Wastewater Treatment. Chemistry Research and Applications.
• Cashman, Michaela A; Langknecht, Troy; El-Khatib, Dounia; Burgess, Robert M; Boving, Thomas B; Robinson, Sandra; Ho, Kay T (2022). Quantification of microplastics in sediments from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, the USA using a novel isolation and extraction method. Marine pollution bulletin, 2022-01, Vol.174, p.113254-113254
• Hannah De Frond, Win Cowger, Sebastian Primpke, Susanne Brander, Violet Renick, Suja Sukumaran, Amy Lusher, Bridget O’Donnell, Dounia Elkhatib, Steve Barnett, Florian Vollnhals, Wenjian Lao, Maria Navas-Moreno, Keith Rickabaugh, Eunah Lee, Gaurav Amarpuri, Silke Christiansen. “What determines the accuracy of chemical identification using microspectroscopy for microplastic pollution?” SETAC North America 42nd Annual Meeting- November 2021
• Langknecht, T,W. Lao,C. Wong,D. El Khatib,S. Kotar,S. Robinson,R. Burgess and K. Ho. “A Multi-Laboratory Method Comparison for Quantifying Microplastics in Sediments: The Roles of Visual Microscopy and Spectroscopy”. Chemosphere (2022).

Conference Proceedings

• Elkhatib, D. and C. Fleischmann. “Ensuring Modern Standards are Met at Older Facilities – Two Case Studies” World Environmental & Water Resources Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 2024.

• Elkhatib D. “Assessment of Microplastics Contamination in Estuarine and Marine Sediments from the Northeast, Central Atlantic, and Southern California Coasts of the United States”. SciCon2 2020 SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting – November 15, 2020.
• Elkhatib D. and Craver V. “Extraction and Identification of microplastic in wastewater and drinking Water: Review study.” NAC SETAC’s 25th Annual Meeting and Short Course at the University of Massachusetts Boston, MA- April 9, 2019.
• Elkhatib D. and Craver V. “Microplastic Assessment in Wastewater and Drinking Water.” NEWEA 2019 annual conference and exhibition in Boston, MA- January 30, 2019
• Elkhatib D. “Identification of Microplastic particles in wastewater and drinking water.” Poster presentation at the AEESP Distinguished Lecture Series Event in Amherst, MA- October 24, 2018
• Elkhatib D. and Craver V. “Nanosize fractions of plastic contamination in urban waters and their implication in ecological systems.” Pan American Congress of Nanotechnology in Sao Paulo, Brazil -November 2017
• Elkhatib D. “Potential of Nitrogen Recovery and Energy Saving Using Bio flocculation in Wastewater Treatment Plants.” NEWEA student design competition in Boston, MA- April 2017.