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Archive for the ‘Emerging Investigators’ Category

Emerging Investigator Series: Baoxia Mi

21 Jul 2016

Baoxia Mi is an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley. She received BS and MS from Tianjin University in China, Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a postdoctoral training at Yale University, all in environmental engineering. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, she held faculty positions at the University of Maryland College Park and The George Washington University in DC.

Currently, she directs the research and educational activities of the Membrane Innovation Lab, studying physicochemical and biological processes with emphases on advanced membrane processes and nanotechnology to address some of the most challenging issues in sustainable water supply and civil infrastructure, renewable energy production, and public health protection. Dr. Mi’s recent achievements include an NSF CAREER Award and Journal of Membrane Science Most Cited Author Award.

Read Baoxia’s Emerging Investigators article ‘silica-crosslinked graphene oxide membrane and its unique capability in removing neutral organic molecules from water‘.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first research article was on membrane integrity monitoring method published in the early stage of my PhD study at Illinois. My current paper is on a novel graphene oxide membrane that demonstrates very interesting separation capabilities. So, over the years, the focus of my research has definitely shifted among different aspects of membrane technology, from membrane characterization to new materials and processes. But overall, I am fascinated by novel technologies that can help us address global water challenges.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
I am most excited about exploring new materials and technologies with the ultimate goal of discovering their potential in promoting water and environmental sustainability. New things do not always work, but there is a lot of fun in the learning process, and the excitement that we get when it does work is enormous.

– What makes silica-crosslinked graphene oxide membranes unique?
The uniqueness of silica-crosslinked graphene oxide membrane mainly comes from its 2D carbon-walled channels, which presents a membrane structure that is distinctly different from traditional porous membranes. We believe such unique structure and associated interface phenomena eventually lead to the unexpected (in a good way) membrane behavior in removing neutral organic molecules.

– What is the most useful application for these membranes?
With its enhanced removal of organic compounds, this membrane can be potentially used for wastewater reuse, as wastewater often contains harmful organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and endocrine disrupting compounds.

– What do you find most challenging about your research?
I felt that the most challenging part about my research is to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries in lab-scaled research and real-life applications of the technologies we are working on.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
My next trip is to the Gordon Research Conference on Membranes: Materials and Processes that will take place at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH next month. At the meeting, I will give a talk on the promises of graphene oxide membranes in water purification. I am also co-organizing a session on membrane processes for water-energy sustainability at the ACS meeting next Spring in San Francisco.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I spend most of my spare time with my two daughters, 8-year old Mifay and 3-month old Mibelle. If there is still time, I enjoy reading and walking/hiking.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
If I am not a scientist, I think I might enjoy being an elementary school teacher and/or a writer to write kids stories. My daughter always asks me to invent stories about her favorite toys and I enjoy doing it too. Nevertheless, being a scientist is much better as I would have missed the fun of doing research.

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Instead of setting a definite career path for myself, I like to just try to be my best in each stage of my life. I felt that working hard and being persistent will eventually bring you to your dream job, although there could be so many different paths to follow.

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Emerging Investigator Series: Christy Remucal

07 Jun 2016

Christina Remucal is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focuses on aquatic chemistry. She is also affiliated with several interdisciplinary programs, including Environmental Chemistry and Technology, Freshwater and Marine Science, and Molecular and Environmental Toxicology. Dr. Remucal holds a BS (2003) in Environmental Engineering and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MS (2004) and PhD (2009) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her postdoctoral research in the Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics at the Swiss

Read Christy’s Emerging Investigators article ‘the efficacy of chlorine photolysis as an advanced oxidation process for drinking water treatment.’

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first paper came out of my undergraduate research on solar water disinfection. I then studied the production of reactive oxidants by zero-valent iron nanoparticles as a graduate student and returned to photochemistry as a post-doc. My current research focuses on the formation and fate of reactive oxidants that are capable of degrading contaminants in both natural systems and in engineered systems (as discussed in this article). While I’ve worked in different systems, my research has always aimed at developing ways to clean water.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
My group is doing a lot of work characterizing the composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM is present in all waters and is important for drinking water because it leads to the formation of disinfection by-products. It also plays a role in the indirect photodegradation of many contaminants in sunlit natural waters. I am excited about DOM because it is a really challenging problem, but also is very important for water quality.

– What do you see as the biggest challenge in drinking water?
Challenges in drinking water are related to both the quantity and quality of water resources. We only have a limited amount of available freshwater, but the stress on this resource is increasing due to a growing population. As a result, we are turning to lower quality water sources to meet our needs. We are also increasingly aware of the presence of emerging contaminants in our water, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products. While some of the solutions to these issues are technological, we also need to work on the social and political aspects to meet our growing demand for water.

– You identified several gaps in knowledge of the chemistry of chlorine photolysis, what do you think is the biggest priority for future research?
A better understanding of the transformation of dissolved organic matter and the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during chlorine photolysis is clearly needed. The data on this topic is limited and there is no consensus in the current literature about whether the treatment approach increases or decreases DBPs. Chlorine photolysis is a promising drinking water treatment approach to improve inactivation of pathogens and remove organic contaminants, but we need to know more about DBP formation in order to safely apply it.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I am attending the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water this summer, and will be at the spring ACS meeting in San Francisco in 2017 – How do you spend your spare time? Nearly all of my free time is spent with my family, including my daughter (5 years) and son (2 years). They are a lot of fun, and I really enjoy watching them learn about the world around them. Outside of that, I enjoy skiing, playing ultimate frisbee, and cooking.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
I have always loved science, even as a middle school student working on my first science fair project. If I had not gone into science, I would have pursued a career in medicine

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Work on something you are really excited about. Research has its ups and downs, and being passionate about what you do helps you stay motivated and get through challenges.

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Emerging Investigators Series: Daniel Gerrity

24 May 2016

Daniel Gerrity earned his Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering as a Department of Homeland Security Fellow at Arizona State University (ASU). After graduation, he worked as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) where he studied the occurrence and treatability of trace organic contaminants in water and wastewater. Dr. Gerrity then worked as a Senior Engineer for Trussell Technologies in San Diego where he focused on the development of alternative treatment trains for potable reuse applications.

Dr. Gerrity is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Construction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where his teaching and research interests focus on water reuse.

Read Daniel’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Prediction of Trace Organic Contaminant Abatement with UV/H2O2: Development and Validation of Semi-Empirical Models for Municipal Wastewater Effluents’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
Throughout my career, I have worked with advisors and mentors with experience in diverse fields ranging from environmental microbiology to chemical engineering. My early publications with Morteza Abbaszadegan, John Crittenden, and Hodon Ryu were related to my Ph.D. research at Arizona State University. These publications primarily focused on the use of advanced treatment technologies, specifically UV/TiO2 photocatalysis, for microbial inactivation.

After graduation, I had the opportunity to pursue post doctoral research with Shane Snyder at the Southern Nevada Water Authority where my research shifted toward the study of trace organic contaminants in water and wastewater. During that time, we were awarded a project by the WateReuse Research Foundation to study the use of ozone and UV/H2O2 to oxidize trace organic contaminants in wastewater treatment applications. This study served as the basis of the most recent article, and it also provided an opportunity to collaborate with other emerging researchers (Yunho Lee who is now at GIST) and established leaders in the field (Urs von Gunten of EAWAG). .

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
The most exciting part of my current research and my early career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is the opportunity to tie all of my past experiences together. In addition to pursuing additional research related to trace organic contaminants, I am also beginning to incorporate more topics related to environmental microbiology. For example, I am currently studying the role of wastewater treatment plants in either promoting or mitigating the effects of bacterial antibiotic resistance. This project gives me an opportunity to integrate my early experience in microbiology with my recent experience with trace organic contaminants, specifically antibiotics.

My current research also emphasizes the role of potable reuse in providing sustainable water supplies for communities in semi-arid environments. Given the importance of potable reuse in the American Southwest, I am excited that my research is critically important to my own community.

– What do you see as the biggest challenge in potable reuse treatment?
It is exciting to see how much potable reuse has evolved in such a short period of time, which is a testament to successful collaborations between researchers, industry, municipalities, and the public. In recent years, public acceptance of the topic was one of the critical challenges hindering widespread adoption of potable reuse. However, the long-term success of several benchmark systems and better communication of its benefits and safety have transformed planned potable reuse into a common and accepted practice.

In some locations, implementation of potable reuse requires compliance with very strict quality- or treatment-based standards. The biggest challenge for potable reuse is trying to figure out how we can achieve those standards in a sustainable and cost-effective way, while ensuring that we are fully protective of public health. That being said, this challenge applies to all forms of water and wastewater treatment—not just potable reuse.

– This is your second article in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. How was your experience publishing with us?
The experience has been fantastic in both instances. The part that really interests me is the unique way that the journal is reaching out to the scientific community and the general public. From the use of Twitter to eye-catching artwork to the Emerging Investigators blog, the journal’s communication seems to stand out compared to other journals. Most importantly, the journal still maintains an extremely high quality of scientific research related to cutting edge topics. I’m excited to be able to publish in this journal because I think it will grow rapidly and reach wider audiences.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
My graduate students and I will be presenting at the International Ozone Association meeting in Las Vegas in August 2016, and I will likely be attending WEFTEC in New Orleans in September 2016. Beyond those two specific conferences, I often attend the annual WateReuse meetings.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I now have an 11-month old daughter who is quickly becoming way too mobile for my liking! When my wife and I are not chasing her around, we go to a gym called SinCity CrossFit in Las Vegas. I’ve developed a great community of friends there, and it allows me to mentally escape from science and teaching—at least for a little while.

Beyond that, I love getting outside and seeing all of the great places Las Vegas has to offer. Most people miss out when they visit Las Vegas because they never get away from the Strip to see places like Red Rock, Mount Charleston, and Lake Mead.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
I enjoy CrossFit so much that I would probably become a coach or possibly open my own gym. Seeing someone achieve their fitness goals or master a specific CrossFit skill is just like seeing the light bulb go off in a student’s head in the classroom. They are both very rewarding experiences.

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Particularly in environmental engineering, there are so many opportunities to collaborate with people in other fields because the problems we are trying to solve require expertise in so many different areas (engineering, materials, biology, chemistry, public health, political science, sociology). In the end, collaboration will likely yield a better product, and you will likely gain knowledge or skills in a new area.

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Emerging Investigators Series author: Brooke Mayer

18 Apr 2016

Brooke Mayer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University. She graduated from the Environmental Engineering program at Arizona State University with her B.S. in 2004, M.S. in 2006, and Ph.D. in 2008.

Brooke’s research interests primarily relate to physicochemical water and wastewater treatment processes, with specific areas of emphasis in virus quantification and mitigation, removal/degradation of emerging chemical contaminants, and the waste-to-resource paradigm embodied by phosphorus recovery.

Read Brooke’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Virus mitigation by coagulation: recent discoveries and future directions’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
Even at this early stage in my career, I can say that my evolution as a researcher has been characterized by non-linearity. Interestingly enough, this article is the most closely related to my first publication, which focused on virus removal during enhanced coagulation.

Since that time, I’ve explored and expanded my interests to include not only viruses and coagulation, but also other contaminants, e.g., disinfection byproduct precursors, as well as treatment processes such as phosphorus recovery. Aside from my growing breadth of interests, the biggest change has been my research role. I’m incredibly lucky to work with an extraordinary team of researchers, including my very talented Ph.D. student and co-author, Joe Heffron.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
It’s really hard for me to pick out one single most exciting thing. Students in my lab group are doing some wonderful research right now, including our work on viruses, advanced oxidation processes, and nutrient recovery. One exciting new project that we’re starting in the fall is my NSF CAREER study focused on using proteins to recover phosphorus.

– What do you consider the main challenge in water quality and treatment?
I believe that many technical challenges remain, but perhaps the most challenging aspects are non-technical, or at least involve better integration of technical and non-technical considerations. I think that further progress in the social and economic dimensions is essential to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water and sanitation for all.

– How was your experience publishing with Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology?
The experience was excellent from start to finish. ES:WR&T maintains an astonishing turn-around rate, while consistently publishing extremely interesting articles of great contemporary relevance. The reviewers and editors were very fast and thorough, and helped us to greatly improve the final article.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I’ll be attending the International Water Association’s Particle Separation 2016 conference in June in Oslo, Norway, where my Ph.D. student and co-author, Joe Heffron, will be presenting a talk describing our research on virus treatment during electrocoagulation. I’ll also be presenting a poster on my new bio-based phosphorus recovery project at the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water later this summer.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, getting out into the great outdoors, traveling, and reading “non-technical, fun” books in my free time.

– If you could not be a scientist but could be anything else, what would you be?
When I was little, I dreamed of being in the Olympics. But since I’m fairly “vertically challenged”, I think that I would be a teacher, following in my parents’ footsteps. Fortunately, I have the great opportunity to both teach and do research in my job!

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to try new things! You’ll undoubtedly be told that you can’t do something or you’re just not the right fit, but you never know until you try – and the learning process doesn’t hinge on successes alone. If you’re open to new opportunities and you build a positive support system of mentors, colleagues and friends, there are no limits.

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Emerging Investigators Series author: Ameet J. Pinto

07 Apr 2016

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Ameet J. Pinto received his PhD (2009) in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech with Prof. Nancy Love. He did his post-doctoral research with Prof. Lutgarde Raskin and Prof. Chuanwu Xi at the University of Michigan before working as a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow (2012-2015). He has recently started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University.

His research focusses on microbial ecosystems at the interface of infrastructure and environmental/public health, with a particular focus on drinking water microbial ecology. You can find out more about his research interests at www.pintolab.com.

Read Ameet’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Microbial communities in full-scale drinking water distribution systems’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first research article was on development of process strategies to mitigate the impact of toxic contaminant spills on wastewater treatment plants and this one is on microbial communities in drinking water systems. Over the years, I have moved from process engineering to microbial ecology while also transitioning from one end of engineered water cycle (wastewater) to the other (drinking water). It has been a fun learning experience; one that has helped me appreciate the critical relationship between microbiology, technology, and environmental/public health.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
I have been thinking a lot lately about how we could predict and (possibly) control microorganisms that end up in our water supply system. It’s really not very novel – wastewater engineers and treatment plant operators have been doing it for a long time. It’s just that a majority focus in the drinking water field has been on eliminating biology rather than exploiting it – and that’s the space where I think there is lots of room for innovative thinking and exciting research.

– What do you see as the biggest challenge or threat to drinking water distribution systems?
In the immediate future – water conservation. Enforcing water conservation practises at the consumer’s end without addressing the legacy infrastructure that transports water to them seems short sighted. It will have significant implications for water quality and safety.

– How did you find out about the Environmental Science journals and how was your experience publishing with us?
I don’t remember how I heard about the Environmental Science journals, but I have been reading papers in Environmental Science: Process and Impacts for a few years now and was really happy to see the launch of Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology in 2015. My experience with the submission and review process was excellent and look forward to submitting here again in the future.

– We can see you are active on Twitter (@watermicrobe). What are your views on social media and academia?
Addictive and essential. I have new collaborations courtesy of Twitter with great researchers I have never met in person! Three things I love about twitter: (1) stay up-to-date on what’s new in research – particularly in fields outside my own, (2) bioinformaticians talk shop there, and (3) good venue to promote some of your own work to a broader audience. And also, @DrScienceCat

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I will be at ASM Microbe 2016 in June. I am co-convening a session on the Urban Water Cycle Microbiome with Lut Raskin at that conference. I will also be at the International Society of Microbial Ecology Conference in August and the Microbial Ecology in Water Engineering conference in September. It is shaping up to be an exciting summer!

– How do you spend your spare time?
Netflix.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
If not a scientist, I think I would have been teacher. As a University Faculty, I get to do both. #winning

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Talk about your ideas often and openly. If it is a good one, someone might offer to help you out with it or if they are already working on it, they’ll invite you to collaborate. If it is a bad one, someone might talk you out of it.

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Emerging Investigators Series author: Patrick McNamara

08 Dec 2015

Patrick McNamara is in his third year as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering at Marquette University. His research group focuses on the removal of micropollutants from water, wastewater, and biosolids, and on the interactions between microbial communities and micropollutants with a special emphasis on antibiotic resistance. He earned his PhD in 2012 from the University of Minnesota under the guidance of Paige Novak and his MS in 2008 from the University of Texas at Austin with Des Lawler.

Read Patrick’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Pyrolysis removes common microconstituents triclocarban, triclosan, and nonylphenol from biosolids’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first work was on the dewaterability of wastewater biosolids. I worked for a physical-chemical treatment expert while earning my master’s, but was drawn to the biological aspects of anaerobic digestion. I grew interested in the interactions between micropollutants and anaerobic treatment processes. My research group now focuses on the impacts of micropollutants in biological systems and investigates ways to remove micropollutants. This most recent article looked at a process to remove micropollutants from biosolids.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
I am very enthusiastic about our work on consumer product antimicrobials and antibiotic resistance. We have made some interesting findings at Marquette in this area and it will be a fun journey to continue to dive deeper. I am thrilled about a new postdoctoral scholar joining us in January to work in this area, and I am looking to have a PhD student join us in this area as well.

– What was your biggest challenge during this research?
John Ross was my first graduate student. He walked into a lab without established procedures or even an LC-MS at the time. It was a big, but fun challenge to get everything started. John took a risk working for a starting Assistant Professor, but we had a great experience learning from each other. The biggest lab challenge was keeping the reactor system air-tight after multiple experiments.

– How did you find out about Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology?
From David Cwiertny on Twitter! ES:WR&T does a great job getting its name out there on social media, and then the name spreads quickly between colleagues in the field because they put together a great editorial team.

– What are your views on the Environmental Science journals of the Royal Society of Chemistry?
This is my first experience publishing in an Environmental Science journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry. It was terrific. The process was so smooth and clear. The turn-around time was almost unbelievable. They are publishing on a lot of hot topics.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I plan to attend this summer’s Gordon conference on Environmental Sciences: Water. I was also invited to talk at ASM Microbe 2016 that will be held in Boston in June.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I enjoy walks with my wife, going to Marquette Basketball games, fishing, playing piano, traveling, and having coffee or a beer with friends.

– If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be?
Well, with no restrictions I would be a professional soccer player or piano player in a band. But honestly, I cannot believe I get to do this job, I love it.

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Find a mentor, and take advice from people in your field that you respect both scientifically and personally. Don’t be seduced by the people who talk about how they are always working; they might just have poor time management. This is the best job in the world. Do your job well, and take breaks at the end of the day and on weekends. It’s a marathon, but it can be very fun and rewarding. Lastly, learn to delegate and trust others after you have taught them. It is hard to be successful if you need to do everything on your own. Teamwork is very valuable.

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Emerging Investigators Series author: Tom Bond

23 Nov 2015

Tom Bond is a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) in the Environmental and Water Resource Engineering (EWRE) section at Imperial College London. His research is focused on the role aquatic chemistry can play in identifying and removing hazardous contaminants during water and wastewater engineering treatment processes.

Although he has spent most of his research career in engineering departments, his first degree was in chemistry and he is interested in synergistic interactions between the two disciplines. He holds a PhD on the treatment of disinfection byproduct precursors and MSc in Water and Wastewater Engineering, both from Cranfield University, and a first class honours degree (MSci) in chemistry from Bristol University.

Read Tom’s Emerging Investigators article ‘formation of disinfection byproducts during the preparation of tea and coffee’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first article was on disinfection byproducts, as is this latest one. However, in between I have also worked on lots of different areas, so hopefully I am now knowledgeable about a wider range of research topics then when I started in research.

– What aspect of your research are you most excited about at the moment?
In general, I am excited by having the freedom to work on different topics and pursue things which interest me. If I am able to make any contributions to improving the public health impact of drinking water then that would be even better.

– Your paper discusses an issue that potentially affects most of us. How did you come up with this idea?
I was reading a thesis from a student at Imperial College, in which was made an incidental comment that tea and coffee represent potential sources of disinfection byproducts. And I thought, That’s an interesting idea actually. After looking in the literature, I was quite surprised to find that this was not something that had been looked at much detail previously. This made it seem like something that would be worth proposing as an MSci research project, which turned out to be the case, especially as an excellent student selected it (Seeheen Tang).

– What was your biggest challenge during this research?
We had some technical challenges with the laboratory work along the way. The biggest was that I initially wanted to undertake a liquid-liquid extraction on the chlorinated tea and coffee samples prior to analysing for disinfection byproducts by gas chromatography. This is a standard method in the drinking water research.

However, as we found out, when you try extracting tea or coffee into an organic solvent you get a horrible frothy mess, which is hopeless for extracting anything from. After trying some alternatives, I ended up sending some samples to an external lab for trihalomethane analysis using a headspace gas chromatography method. This relies on heating the sample to separate the volatile trihalomethanes, rather than extracting them.

– How did you find out about Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology and how was your experience?
It was mentioned to me by colleagues at Imperial, while I have also seen it advertised at conferences I have attended. The editorial and peer review process was very efficient in the case of this article.

– How do you spend your spare time?
In no particular order: walking/hiking, going to the pub, eating out and birdwatching. The last of these is my biggest passion, even if I probably spend more time on the other activities mentioned.

– If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be?
A writer, although I am not sure of which type. Of the various enjoyable aspects of working in a university, writing is the part I like most. And it would intrigue me to try writing in a different style to that required by science/academia. As a secondary alternative, being a professional footballer would be ok (!), although I fear that I am already too old, not to mention unskilled, for that possibility.

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Try to improve a variety of aspects of your CV, rather than concentrating on one or two, as this should give you more opportunities in the future. It also helps if you know where you want to go in your career, as then you can plan strategically what is needed to get there.

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Emerging Investigators Series author: Krista Wigginton

14 Aug 2015

Krista Rule Wigginton received her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech under P. J. Vikesland (2008). She conducted postdoctoral research at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2009–2010) under T. Kohn. She was an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland (2011–2012) and is now an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Borchardt and Glysson Water Treatment Faculty Scholar at the University of Michigan. Her main research interests involve the detection and fate of emerging biological contaminants in drinking and wastewater treatment.

Read Krista’s Emerging Investigators article ‘the source and fate of pandemic viruses in the urban water cycle’ here.

How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first article as an undergraduate researcher was on the synthesis of fluorinated organic compounds. This paper is on emerging viruses in the water environment. So my research has definitely evolved since I was an undergraduate student! I still consider myself an organic chemist, but now I study how viruses, which are essentially large organic molecules, behave in natural and engineered environments.

What aspect of your research are you most excited about at the moment?
I’m really enjoying the work we’re doing on environmental viruses. I started working with viruses towards the end of my Ph.D., and I’m still fascinated by them. There is so much we don’t know about the types, concentrations, and fate of human viruses in the environment. Right now, we have projects on human noroviruses, poliovirus, and coronaviruses, and we’re even starting a collaboration studying pig viruses.

What do you see as the biggest challenge or threat to global water supplies?
There are so many challenges to global water supplies, but so much is routed in human behavior. We know where to find water, we know the basics of how to clean water, and we know how to conserve water. The big challenge for scientists and engineers lies in helping the public and policy makers put this knowledge to practice.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?
I’m co-organizing a session on microorganism fate and detection at the upcoming ACS meeting in Boston. I’ll also be giving a talk on enveloped viruses at the IWA International Symposium of Health-Related Water Microbiology in Lisbon this September.

How do you spend your spare time?
Right now, most of my spare time is dedicated to my two children Lucille (3 years) and Max (1 year). They help me keep my life balanced. I like to cook, garden, and my guilty pleasure is binge watching TV seasons on Netflix.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
Hmm, that’s tough. I took flying lessons in high school and really enjoyed it, so I’ll just say pilot.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice/wisdom with other early career scientists?
With so few academic positions available for scientists and engineers, I think early career researchers need to be open to and prepared for more than one career path. I tried to keep as many doors open as possible all the way up to the point when I received an offer for an assistant professor position. I love my job, but I think I could have been just as happy working in consulting or for the government. Having options is good.

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Emerging Investigators Series – Open Call for Applications

14 Aug 2015

We are delighted to announce a new initiative in which we wish to highlight the very best work from environmental scientists, working in the area of water engineering and technology, who are in the early stages of their independent career. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology has created an on-going Emerging Investigators Series that will feature articles published by up-and-coming researchers who have been identified as having the potential to influence future directions in water research and technology.

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology showcases high quality research and innovative technologies that promote sustainable water resources. The journal provides a comprehensive and relevant forum that unites the diverse communities and disciplines conducting water research relevant to engineered systems and the built environment.

This is an open call for applications to the Series. Environmental scientists who have completed their PhD (or equivalent degree) within the last 10 years, and have an independent career, can apply to have their research highlighted in the Emerging Investigators Series.

To make an application please email eswater-rsc@rsc.org with the following information:

Your name, affiliation, position and contact details
Your up-to-date CV (no longer than 2 pages), which should include a summary of education and career, a list of relevant publications, any notable awards, honours or professional activities in the field, and a website URL if relevant
A synopsis of the article intended to be submitted to the Series, including a tentative submission date. This can be an original research article (Communication or Full Paper) or a review-type article (Critical Review, Frontier Review or Tutorial Review). Please see the journal website for more information on our article types.

Applications will be reviewed by the Executive Editor, Editor-in-Chief and members of the Editorial Board. The selection criteria for the Emerging Investigators Series will be based on the following:

Innovation and impact of research program
Quality of publications and/or patents and/or software
Profile within institute and/or community

Please note that articles submitted to the journal for the Series will undergo the usual peer-review process, and no guarantees of publication can be given to successful applicants.

In return, successful applicants will receive additional visibility of their research through the inclusion of their article in a high profile themed collection on the journal website, a feature interview on the journal blog devoted to the investigator’s research program (read the latest interviews here), and the offer of discounted membership to the Royal Society of Chemistry, at an appropriate level of membership, for the first year.

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology authors also benefit from rapid publication times, a simple and user-friendly online submission process and all articles are in colour, free of charge.

Contact and further information
Sarah Ruthven, Executive Editor
Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology
Royal Society of Chemistry
Thomas Graham House, Science Park,
Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 432129
Email: eswater-rsc@rsc.org

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