George Wells

George Wells is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering. He leads the Environmental Biotechnology and Microbial Ecology Lab, focusing on microbial community dynamics in environmental bioprocesses for water treatment, nutrient recovery, and greenhouse gas mitigation. His research addresses global challenges in water quality, resource recovery, and climate change.

• Bachelor’s degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Rice University
• M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University
• Postdoctoral research at EAWAG, Switzerland

His research interests include microbial ecology, nitrogen cycling, denitrification pathways, and sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. He teaches undergraduate courses (CE 260, CE 364, CE 301-2) and graduate courses (CE 442, CE 443) at Northwestern. Notable findings include discovering metabolic diversity in denitrifiers that influence nitrous oxide emissions. Collaborations span academia and industry globally. His lab emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to environmental sustainability.