Heather Murphy

Dr. Heather Murphy is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the College of Public Health, Temple University, specializing in water quality, sanitation, and environmental health. With 15+ years of experience spanning academia, UNICEF, and Canadian public health agencies, she leads the Water, Health and Applied Microbiology (WHAM) Laboratory.

• Education: PhD in Environmental Engineering (University of Guelph), MASc in Civil Engineering (Dalhousie University), BEng in Biological Engineering (Dalhousie University)

Her research focuses on microbial water quality in developed/developing contexts, including:

• Surface water quality and recreational exposure
• Septic system impacts on private wells
• Drinking water distribution microbial ecology
• Sanitation challenges in resource-limited settings

Recent publications emphasize wastewater-based disease surveillance (including SARS-CoV-2), climate impacts on enteric disease, and environmental justice in urban water systems. Funded by NIH, USGS, and Grand Challenges Canada, she translates sanitation science into policy through stakeholder engagement and risk assessment frameworks.

The WHAM Lab conducts interdisciplinary research bridging environmental engineering, epidemiology, and public health practice, with fieldwork in North America, Madagascar, and India.