Special Seminar: Harnessing the Metabolic Versatility of Waste Microbiomes to Achieve Water-Energy-Resource Circularity

Optional ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 920 3915 0815
Passcode: 866878

Wastewater microbiomes offer a dynamic and underutilized frontier for advancing circularity across water, energy, and resource systems. In this talk, I explore how the design and operation of biological wastewater treatment and sanitation infrastructure shape microbial community structure, function, and metabolism. By decoding and re-engineering these microbial ecosystems, we can unlock pathways to produce clean water, renewable energy, and valuable chemicals, in conjunction, thereby transforming a linear burden into a regenerative opportunity.

Drawing on recent discoveries and a systems engineering framework, the potential of both well-characterized and newly emergent microbial protagonists towards such a transformation is highlighted. Accordingly, specific strategies for integrating microbial ecology with process design to achieve resource-positive outcomes in next-generation infrastructure are presented, especially in contexts where resilience, affordability, and equity are paramount.

About the Speaker(s)

Kartik Chandran
Professor of Environmental Engineering, Columbia

Kartik Chandran is a professor of environmental engineering at Columbia University and a globally-recognized leader in the field of microbial process engineering. His research reimagines the microbial nitrogen cycle and its intersections with carbon, water, and energy systems, towards advancing technologies for resource-positive wastewater treatment and sanitation across diverse geographies, and thereby improving their accessibility, especially to vulnerable and underserved populations. Chandran's work bridges molecular microbiology, systems engineering, and global development, with applications ranging from urban infrastructure to off-grid solutions in low-resource settings. His innovations continue to shape the future of regenerative sanitation and circular resource systems.

Contact

For more information, contact Ashley Parker at ashley.l.parker@dartmouth.edu.