My journey in science starts from my fascination of the ocean. Through my graduate school years in marine sciences and the exploration of the vast blue sea, I have learned the magical world of marine microbes. Marine viruses, the smallest microbe in the world, are the most numerically abundance organism on earth. These viruses interact with marine bacteria, phytoplankton, and protozoa to form the microbial loop and contribute significantly to the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. A better understanding of ocean microbiome is critical for our fight against climate change. The natural interactions between marine bacteria and viruses also directly shape human society. Cholera, the well-kwon human diarrheal disease, is caused by a marine bacterium that is integrated by a filamentous bacteriophage genome. At the edge of seas, the boundary between the ocean microbiome and the wastewater microbiome blurs. Human discharges millions of gallons of human sewage daily to the ocean that transforms the coastal ecosystem and impacts our own health. Over my career as a professor of environmental engineering, the invisible microbial world never failed to inspire me to explore.  Who are out there? What are they doing? How do they transform the world around us? How do we remove them using engineered technologies? And how do we live with them in peace to balance the need of environment and human society? It would be my pleasure to share my journey through this invisible world and the inspirations that keeping me on this road.

From ocean microbiome to wastewater microbiome: A journey through an invisible world

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.