Episode #26: Dr. Natalie Hull talks about clean water, novel methods of water treatment, and microbes

Dr. Natalie Hull studies water microbiology at fundamental and system scales.   Her academic background is in civil engineering (University of Kentucky, University of Colorado Boulder) and environmental engineering (University of Colorado Boulder), with post-graduate professional molecular biology and microbiome research (University of Colorado Boulder).  Dr. Hull leads the Water TEAM (Treatment Engineering And Microbiome) research group, which investigates sustainable engineering of water microbiology to protect human and environmental health. Her fundamental scale research focuses on optimizing physical ultraviolet light treatment and cellular/enzymatic biological water treatment to combat microbial threats.  This includes developing or increasing understanding of methods to detect microorganisms or their biomolecules, determining mechanisms of disinfection or damage to viral and bacterial pathogens or their biomolecules, decreasing antimicrobial resistance, investigating metabolism of natural microbial communities participating in degrading cyanotoxins or in concrete biomineralization, and destroying toxins produced during harmful algal blooms.  Her system scale research investigates links between water microbiomes and human health, and between engineering and human factors on Appalachian water systems.  Her continued research will integrate understanding of fundamental impacts of engineered treatments on water microbiology and their translation to sustainable, healthy water systems.