Dr. Joan Rose

Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research, Michigan State University

Dr. Joan Rose serves as the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University, the Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) and the Director of the Center for Water Sciences (CWS). She is an international expert in water microbiology, water quality and public health safety publishing more than 300 manuscripts. She has been involved in the investigation of numerous waterborne outbreaks world-wide. Her work has examined new molecular methods for waterborne pathogens,  zoonotic agents (such as Cryptosporidium ), enteric viruses and source tracking. She has been involved in the study of water supplie,. She specifically interested in microbial pathogen transport in coastal systems and has studied the impact of climate change on wastewater discharges and storm waters on water quality and health.  Her career has advanced the information needed to establish science-based quantitative microbial risk assessments. She won the Clarke Water Prize in 2001 (one of 5 international awards for contributions to water science and technology)  and in 2008 Dr. Rose won the first  Hei-jin Woo Award for Achievements of Women in the Water Profession, from Intern. Water Assoc. (IWA).  In 2009, she was awarded the Public Service Medal from the Singapore Ministry of Environment and Water Resources for her work on water and health.

She is currently serving as Chair of the Drinking Water Committee for the Science Advisory Board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and  Chair of the Specialist Group Health-Related Water Microbiology (IWA).