Dae-Wook Kang

Dae-Wook Kang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Toledo, where he has been teaching and conducting research since January 2019. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2009), a Master's degree from Seoul National University (2002), and a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Urban Engineering from Seoul National University (1998).

Dr. Kang's professional experience includes positions as Associate Research Scientist and Assistant Research Scientist at the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State University (2014-2018), and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the same institution (2009-2014). His academic career began with research assistant positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Seoul National University.

Dr. Kang's research focuses on employing multi-omics technologies and bioinformatics to advance understanding of the role of microbiota in environmental engineering systems, nature, and human health. His work spans several critical areas including gut microbiome research related to autism spectrum disorders, wastewater treatment, harmful algal blooms, and microbial ecology. His publications in high-impact journals like Cell, Microbiome, and mSystems demonstrate significant contributions to understanding the connections between gut microbiota and autism, developing microbiota transfer therapy approaches, and monitoring pathogens in wastewater systems.

His research group, the Environmental Microbiome Lab, currently includes several PhD and MS students working on projects related to wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and the Maumee River, and microbial competition dynamics. Dr. Kang has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students who have gone on to work at organizations including Arcadis Inc., NTH Consultants, Ltd., and Turner Co.

• President's Award for Excellence in Creative and Scholarly Activity, University of Toledo (2021, 2022)
• Kang et al. (2017 Microbiome) paper selected as a must-read article for the Springer Nature Change the World initiative
• Abstract featured and live-interviewed at 114th General meeting of American Society for Microbiology (2014)
• Rotary International, Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship (2002)

As an educator, Dr. Kang teaches courses including Microbiome and multi-Omics, Water Supply and Treatment, and Wastewater Engineering. He has supervised numerous independent study and graduate research projects. His lab, the Environmental Microbiome Lab, is located in Nitschke Hall at the University of Toledo and focuses on applying cutting-edge genomic technologies to environmental and health-related challenges.