Sonia Grego

Sonia Grego is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. She leads the Smart Toilet Lab and contributes to research at the Center for Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Infectious Disease. Her work spans environmental engineering, biomedical device development, and optical biosensor design.

• Education: M.S. from Università di Pisa (1995), Ph.D. from University of Copenhagen (1999)
• Current Affiliations: Duke University, Smart Toilet Lab, Center for Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Infectious Disease

Grego's research focuses on smart sanitation systems, integrating IoT technologies for health monitoring through toilet-based diagnostics. Her work bridges biomedical engineering with environmental sustainability, particularly in non-sewered sanitation solutions and wastewater epidemiology. She has pioneered automated stool monitoring systems using computer vision and electrochemical wastewater treatment for public toilet recycling.

Her publications demonstrate expertise in:

• Environmental Engineering: Wastewater analysis, fecal sludge characterization
• Biomedical Device Development: Microfluidic models, optical biosensor platforms
• Flexible Electronics: Transparent electrode systems, bend-testing for displays
• Optical Sensing: Grating couplers, wavelength interrogation systems

News coverage highlights her impact on sustainable sanitation through Duke's "Smart Toilet" innovations that monitor health data while promoting water reuse. Earlier work includes nanowire photodetectors and MEMS scanning mirrors for medical endoscopy, showing consistent innovation across multiple engineering domains.