Natalie Kruse is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and Director of the Environmental Studies Program. Kruse holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and Geosciences from Newcastle University, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Geological Sciences from Ohio University. She completed her post-doctoral research for the Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research at Newcastle University. A winner of the British Marshall Scholarship, Kruse won the Best Paper award from Mine Water and the Environment in 2009. She also won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and the Morris K. Udall Scholarship.
Dr. Kruse's research is focused on water quality characterization and treatment in watersheds impaired by mining, oil and gas, stormwater runoff, and agricultural pollution. She actively engages with the Appalachian communities most affected by water pollution, hoping to give community members the tools to advocate on behalf of their health and environment. She has led research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the AEP Foundation, the Office of Surface Mines, the Ohio EPA, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Sugar Bush Foundation.