Visiting Professor Spotlight: WEST welcomes Dr. Joan Rose

In January 2021, WEST Center welcomed Dr. Joan Rose as a Visiting Professor to the University of Arizona.  Dr. Rose is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and runs the Water Quality and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory at Michigan State University (MSU).  She also oversees the Global Water Pathogens Project (GWPP) and is involved with MSU’s Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment IV Center and MSU’s Water Sciences Network (CWS).

Dr. Rose’s research focuses on developing new genetic analytics to study waterborne health threats, targeting actual pathogenic agents such as viruses, and mapping water quality and health risks in waterways throughout the world. Her work has examined new molecular methods for waterborne pathogens and zoonotic agents such as Cryptosporidium and enteric viruses and source tracking techniques. She has been involved in the study of water supplies, water used for food production, and coastal environments as well as water and wastewater treatment, reclaimed water and water reuse, and quantitative microbial risk assessment.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rose has worked collaboratively on projects in Singapore, India and elsewhere, and has served as an advisor to the Governments of Singapore and Queensland, Australia.  As stated on her World’s Waterways webpage:

“Part of my role as a Water Detective means travel abroad, where my research has taken me to some of the most exotic waters in the world. Water remains as vital to the environment as it is to people, and it never ceases to amaze me. Each place inspires me in a new and different way, and I am going with the flow to some of my favorite destinations around the world to document waters’ wonder.” – Joan Rose

In 2016, her significant contributions to the understanding of water microbiology and its use in monitoring water quality to improve public health was acknowledged when Dr. Joan Rose was named the winner of the Stockholm Water Prize.   In recent years, she was also:

• Inducted into the Michigan Water Industry Hall of Fame, 2020
• Elected as a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona, Spain, 2020
• Elected to the Royal Institution of Singapore, 2019
• Elected to the EU Academy of Sciences, 2019

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Dr. Rose was named one of the 21 most influential people in Water in the 21st Century by Water Technology Magazine in 2000 and has served on a number of advisory committees including 1) Chair of the Drinking Water Committee for the Science Advisory Board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2) Vice-Chair of the USA National Committee for the International Water Association, 2002-05, 3) Member of the Strategic Council for IWA 2005-08 and 4) Member of the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academy of Science, National Research Council, 1998-2004 (serving as Vice Chair of the Board from 2002-04), to name just a few.

Sources of her recent grant and/or contract support include NOAA, EPA, Water Environmental Research Foundation, and NSF.

Dr. Rose comes back to familiar territory during her spring semester in Tucson.  She, in fact, has a long history with the University of Arizona and longtime connections with many in the WEST community.  She began her career at UArizona, completing her undergraduate education at the institution and then returning for her PhD from 1981 to 1989.  She has mentored and/or collaborated with several WEST faculty and staff throughout the years.  We are pleased to welcome her to WEST!

The COVID-19 pandemic will influence Dr. Rose’s sabbatical work during Spring 2021.  During her time at WEST, Dr. Rose will focus on projects to advance microbial risk assessment related to SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater.  Projects include:

• Development of a robust international network to monitor COVID-19.  This group will provide a data center to house the quantitative data being gathered around the world on SARS-CoV-2 in wastewaters.
• Workshops on new content on the QMRAwiki for teaching and taking on case studies for addressing microbial risks.
• Promoting technology and instruments to continue to advance water pathogens environmental monitoring and control.

For more information or to contact Dr. Rose during her time at UArizona WEST Center, please email joanrose@arizona.edu.