Rachel Noble

Rachel Noble is a **Mary and Watts Hill Jr. Distinguished Professor** in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the **University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill**. Her primary affiliation is with the **Gillings School of Global Public Health** and the **UNC Institute of Marine Sciences** (IMS). She leads the **UNC IMS Morehead City Field Site** and the **Noble Lab**, focusing on environmental microbiology and public health.

**Education**: PhD in Marine Biology, University of Southern California (1998); BSc in Molecular Biology, Carnegie Mellon University (1991).

**Research Interests**: Dr. Noble’s work bridges environmental science and public health, emphasizing novel molecular techniques for water quality monitoring, wastewater surveillance (including SARS-CoV-2 tracking), and pathogen dynamics in coastal ecosystems. Her lab develops rapid testing methods for contaminants like *Vibrio* species and studies the impacts of stormwater runoff and flooding on water safety.

**Key Projects**: She leads the **NC Wastewater Monitoring Network**, advocates for standardized molecular methods in pathogen detection, and collaborates with federal agencies, municipalities, and industry partners. Her research also addresses shellfish aquaculture safety and resilience to climate-driven events like Hurricane Florence.

**Awards**: Named **Mary and Watts Hill Jr. Distinguished Professor**, recognizing her contributions to marine science and public health.

**Grants & Collaborations**: Funded by the NIH, NSF, and North Carolina Policy Collaboratory. Her work includes post-disaster studies (e.g., Hurricane Florence) to assess microbial contamination in floodwaters and shellfish harvesting areas.

**Labs & Teams**: The **Noble Lab** focuses on wastewater-based epidemiology and environmental microbiology. She collaborates with the **Institute for the Environment** and the **North Carolina Institute for Public Health**.