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Dr. Li received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award to support our research on bioremediation of the commingled solvent-stabilizer contamination in groundwater.
Our paper about the discovery of a novel bacterial enzyme that degrades 1,4-dioxane has been featured on the cover of Environmental Science and Technololgy Letters.
Congratulations to Jose on winning the undergraduate poster competition at the 103rd Annual Conference and Exposition for New Jersey Water Environment Association (NJWEA). |
The research at the Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology is oriented to advance our knowledge on applied microbiology and molecular biotechnology and develop innovative techniques to tackle grand challenges in the nexus of water, energy, and food (depicted as the overlapping area of three key domains in the diagram). We develop water remediation techniques that deploy microorganisms to biodegrade organic pollutants of emerging global concern, such as 1,4-dioxane, PFAS, antibiotics, and pesticides. We further research interdisciplinary methods for improving urban water and wastewater treatment technologies, including the application of nanotechnology to disinfect supplies contaminated with pathogens and the use of biomass-derived charcoal to remove trace toxins. To examine the microbial processes in natural and engineered systems, we integrate conventional culture-dependent approaches with state-of-the-art high-throughput molecular technologies, such as cloning, microarray, omics, and single cell analysis. We also design innovative and inexpensive genetic forensic tools for rapid quantification of the essential microbial populations or functions in the environment. Other projects include mitigation of biofouling in membrane treatment facilities, controlling of microbial induced corrosion, and identification of microbial enzymes for biofuel production.
We sincerely appreciate our funding supports from:
