Helen Nguyen

Helen Nguyen is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she has held positions since 2006. She also serves as an Affiliate at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the Institute for Genomic Biology. Her academic roles include chairing the Environmental Engineering and Science Program (2017-2019) and prior positions as Associate and Assistant Professor at UIUC.

• Ph.D. (2005), M.S. (2004) in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University
• M.S. (2000) in Earth and Environmental Science from University of Illinois at Chicago
• B.S. (1995) in Geology from Ivan Franko National University of L'viv

Nguyen's research focuses on pathogens and biofilms in drinking water distribution systems, environmental surveillance of pathogens, and water and food safety. Her work spans microbial inactivation mechanisms, biofilm dynamics, and innovative water treatment strategies.

Her recent 15 articles (2023-2025) emphasize coronavirus stability, legionella contamination, rotavirus on produce, biofilm mechanics, and climate-pathogen interactions. Trends include environmental virology, microbial risk assessment, and disinfection science.

Scientific awards include the NSF CAREER award, Fulbright Specialist, AEESP/CH2M Hill Outstanding Dissertation Award, and University of Illinois College of Engineering Research Excellence Awards at both Assistant and Associate Professor levels.

Nguyen advises 10 undergraduate students on pathogen removal and has mentored award-winning graduate students like Ruiqing Lu (2015) and Chamteut Oh (2024). She leads Engineers Without Borders teams and collaborates on USDA-funded food safety workshops.