Grad Profile: Nathaniel Sheehan, G'25

Nathaniel Sheehan, G’25, is no stranger to commitments of learning and service. He was commissioned as an Army officer in 2010 as an environmental and sanitary engineer. Throughout his career he has received several master’s degrees in engineering and operational studies from other institutions. He has been working on completing his Ph.D. at the University of Kansas for the last three years.

“My dad did some work with waste and wastewater, which I think was in the back of my head when I was looking at majors,” said Sheehan. “I wanted an ABET accredited bachelor’s degree and happened to run into a professor during my undergrad, Dr. Butkus, who encouraged me to try environmental engineering.”

ABET accreditation signifies that a college or university program in engineering meets specific quality standards and prepares graduates for professional practice. All of the CEAE programs, including environmental engineering, are ABET accredited.

Sheehan’s transition to KU came somewhat serendipitously. After a deployment and a move to Kansas, the U.S. Army tasked him with pursuing a Ph.D. As Sheehan and his wife weighed their options, staying local quickly became a priority.

“My wife said, ‘Can you pick a school where we don’t move?’” he said.

KU fit the bill – and the academic challenge and strong research program made it an easy choice.

After joining the CEAE Department as a Ph.D. candidate in 2022, he began studying forever chemicals (also known as PFAS) and helping develop processes to help combat growing contamination. The research has been funded by the U.S. Army and the research will continue even after Sheehan’s graduation. Though it won’t carry over into his next position, he is grateful for the depth and experience it has added to his career.

Sheehan’s next assignment will take him to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where he will serve as an instructor of industrial hygiene. In this role, he’ll teach small, hands-on classes focused on applied environmental and occupational health topics – preparing soldiers to conduct real-world assessments around the globe.

Returning to a university for his Ph.D. was a unique experience, as Sheehan had spent a little bit of time as a teacher and was returning as a student.

“It was interesting to sit in class again, especially having been in the instructor’s shoes,” he said. “I could really appreciate what my professors were doing – especially Dr. Justin Hutchison, who I had for nearly half my classes.”

The unique lens also shaped how Sheehan viewed his own progress toward his degree, and he cautions all students from undergrad to fellow Ph.D. candidates to look toward the bigger picture.

“I worked hard for perfect grades,” he said, “but looking back, I might have spent too much time on that. If I could go back, I’d focus more on what actually moves the dissertation forward. Grades are important, but graduating is the goal.”

As he prepares to transition to his next role, he reflects on the lessons he’s learned.

“I didn’t realize how flexible the degree path could be,” he said. “Early on, I was taking classes I didn’t really need, just because they were part of a plan I made before I even got to KU. Later, I realized I could shift things to better fit what I actually wanted to do. That made a huge difference.”

With his new position and final dissertation coming up quick in the near future, Sheehan is proud of the lasting impact his research has had on him, and on the CEAE department.

“This project benefited more than just the Army,” he said. “I hope I helped improve things around me along the way.”