معرفی
Tiong Aw is an Associate Professor and Program Director for the PhD in Environmental Health Sciences at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. His research focuses on public health microbiology, virology, water quality, and environmental metagenomics, with expertise in pathogen-environment interactions in coastal systems. He leads the AW Lab – Environmental Health Microbiology and Water Quality Research Group.
Dr. Aw holds a B.Eng in Environmental Engineering from University of Technology Malaysia, a PhD in Environmental Microbiology from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and completed postdoctoral training at Michigan State University.
His research examines how environmental factors affect pathogenic microorganisms in coastal environments and engineered water systems. Key areas include microbial source tracking, viral metagenomics, and developing detection methods for waterborne pathogens. Current projects investigate climate change impacts on pathogen distribution and pollution mitigation strategies.
Recent publications demonstrate his focus on wastewater surveillance, viral ecology, and coastal ecosystem health. Work consistently integrates molecular techniques with environmental applications, showing strong emphasis on SARS-CoV-2 monitoring, wetland carbon dynamics, and innovative water treatment methods.
Honors and Awards:
- ByWater Institute Fellow
- Scientific Advisory Board of Shedd Aquarium (Aquarium Microbiome Project)
- Technical Advisor for qPCR techniques to Michigan DEQ
- Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society
As Program Director, he oversees doctoral training in Environmental Health Sciences and fosters collaborations between SPHTM and the ByWater Institute. His lab conducts translational research for the water industry.
