Dawn Dechand

Dawn Dechand is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) at Michigan State University's College of Engineering. Her research focuses on leveraging plant-based ecological systems to address water quality challenges, particularly agricultural and urban runoff, wastewater treatment, and hazardous waste remediation. She specializes in wetlands, phytoremediation, and plant-microbe interactions to understand pollutant fate and mitigation strategies.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (2007)
• B.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Kansas State University (2002)

Research Interests:

• Phytoremediation of emerging pollutants and hazardous wastes
• Constructed wetlands and vegetated technologies for water quality protection
• Plant tissue culture and genetic engineering for enhanced phytoremediation capabilities

Her work emphasizes sustainable solutions, including duckweed-based systems for nutrient recovery and anaerobic digestion optimization in agricultural waste management.

Teaching:

• BE 332: Engineering Properties of Biological Materials
• BE 482: Non-point Source Pollution Control

Research Trends: Recent publications highlight advancements in plant-driven pollutant mitigation, including antibiotic metabolism in plants, antimicrobial accumulation in food crops, and solar-bio-powered waste systems. Her studies bridge laboratory experiments (e.g., hydroponic and callus culture models) with field-scale applications, addressing both environmental and human health impacts.

Labs and Teams: Her research group operates within the College of Engineering's Biosystems Engineering program, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects to advance ecological engineering solutions for water quality challenges.