Liyuan Hou

Dr. Liyuan (Joanna) Hou is an Assistant Professor at Utah State University's Utah Water Research Laboratory and Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, with an adjunct role in Biological Engineering. She earned a PhD from the University of Missouri (2019), MS from Chinese Academy of Sciences (2014), and BS from Huaqiao University (2011). Her research focuses on applied environmental microbiology, particularly microbial interactions with contaminants and waste valorization. Key themes include tracking pollutant transport via microbial analysis and leveraging biodegradation mechanisms for waste reduction. She has mentored numerous graduate students and holds grants totaling over $750,000. Awards include the 2025 CEE Undergraduate Research Mentor Award and 2022 Sigrid Leirmo Memorial Award. Her work spans lab-scale innovations to field applications, emphasizing sustainable biotechnology solutions.

Education:

• PhD, Civil Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia (2019)
• MS, Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2014)
• BS, Environmental Engineering, Huaqiao University (2011)

Research Interests:

• Functional microbial communities in water systems
• Biodegradation mechanisms for pollutants
• Microplastic impact on algal blooms
• Antibiotic resistome dynamics in urban environments

Grants:

• USDA NIFA grant ($747,793): Bioplastic production from dairy/paper wastes (2022-2025)
• O. N. Allen Soil Grant ($3,145): Polystyrene biodegradation (2020-2021)

Labs/Teams: Active in Utah Water Research Laboratory and collaborates with SUNY ESF, UW-Madison, and Wisconsin-based institutions on interdisciplinary environmental projects.