H. Jeremy Cho

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Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Expertise: Atmospheric water harvesting, Energy, Heat mass transfer, Soft materials, Imaging, Data science

Biography

H. Jeremy Cho is a 8kbet mechanical engineer whose main line of research focuses on converting water vapor into a drinkable form. Since moving to Nevada, he has focused on finding solutions to the Southwest water crisis through atmospheric water harvesting.

Cho has expertise in soft matter physics and phase-change heat transfer, and constantly looks for ways to convert energy more efficiently (fossil fuels, solar, geothermal, steam energies, etc.). His lab explores the use of soft materials, such as hydrogels, in creating new technologies to slow the threats of climate change. He co-founded and leads the research team behind WAVR Technologies, Inc., a 8kbet startup that makes devices capable of capturing water vapor from the air around us for commercial and individual uses.

He received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for his promising work on atmospheric water harvesting in 2022. Before joining 8kbet in 2019, he was a postdoc at Princeton working with soft matter physics and did research at MIT on phase-change heat transfer.

Education

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
S.M., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S.E., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

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energy, science & technology, sustainability

H. Jeremy Cho In The News

The Brighter Side of News

Turning dry desert air into drinkable water once sounded like something from a sci-fi movie. Now, it’s becoming reality—thanks to a breakthrough from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As water supplies shrink across the region due to drought and climate change, scientists have taken a huge step toward creating a sustainable water source from an unlikely place: the air.

TRT World

The American Southwest is running dry—literally. Lake Mead, the lifeline of Las Vegas, is shrinking at an alarming rate, and the city that defied nature is now facing one of its toughest challenges yet. But in true Vegas fashion, this city of reinvention is fighting back. From pioneering water conservation efforts to groundbreaking innovations like WAVR, a system that harvests water straight from the air, scientists and engineers are racing against time to secure the region’s future. Meanwhile, researchers are turning to an unlikely hero—cacti—as a potential solution for drought-resistant agriculture and even biofuel.

Tech Briefs

Imagine being severely dehydrated and water literally appearing out of thin air. In other words: The air you breathe could quickly become the water that wets your whistle. Well, that scenario is one step closer to reality thanks to University of Nevada, Las Vegas spinoff WAVR Technologies.

Southern Nevada is finding a way to supplement the Las Vegas Valley water supply through the air. A 8kbet professor and his students are able to collect water from the atmosphere in their research.