Fahrenfeld Research Group

We work at the interface of environmental chemistry and environmental microbiology to promote water quality and sustainability, with applications in natural, agricultural, and engineered systems. Research interests / projects include

• microbial source tracking in mixed land use watersheds
• end-of-pipe treatment for combined sewer overflows
• microbial processes in sewers
• microplastic sources and their associated biofilms
• antibiotic resistance in agricultural soils
• bioremediation of oil, solvent, and explosives contaminated aquifer sediments

Tools in the lab include those for analyzing organic contaminants (e.g., HPLC-UV), studying microbes (e.g., PCR, qPCR, fluorescent microscope, anaerobic chamber), and measuring basic water quality parameters.