Jovan Kamcev immigrated to the United States from Macedonia at 11 years of age. Jovan attended Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City, where he majored in Chemistry. During this period, his interest in Chemistry and Mathematics grew, so he decided to enroll at Stony Brook University, where he double majored in Chemical Engineering and Applied Math and Statistics. Jovan was introduced to scientific research during summer internships at Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. These experiences catalyzed his interest in fundamental scientific research, so Jovan decided to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. At UT, Jovan joined the groups of Profs. Benny Freeman and Donald Paul, where he currently works on developing fundamental understanding of ion and water transport in ion exchange membranes for water purification and energy generation applications. During his graduate studies, Jovan has received numerous awards, including NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, North American Membrane Society Student Fellowship Award, and NSF CLiPS Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Ultimately, Jovan is interested in pursuing an academic career to mentor future generations of chemical engineers, as well as work on pressing global challenges.