People

The Hegarty Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Case Western Reserve University draws individuals from many different disciplinary backgrounds who are united by an interest in understanding and engineering microbiomes. If you’d be interested in joining the lab or collaborating, email Prof. Bridget Hegarty for more information about current projects. 


Bridget Hegarty

Dr. Bridget Hegarty is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests encompass the microbiology of engineered systems, ranging from homes and drinking water pipes to constructed wetlands. She is particularly driven to understand the viral and fungal communities of environments that have been previously overlooked. Before starting at Case Western Reserve, she was a postdoc at the University of Michigan studying the viral ecology of drinking water distribution systems. She earned her PhD at Yale University, where her dissertation focused on the fungi of homes with mold damage, including designing a machine learning tool capable of using the fungal signature of homes to distinguish whether or not a home has mold damage. Beyond the lab, she loves skiing (both downhill and cross-country), photography, traveling and reading.

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Current Lab Members

Sadia Marjia Ferdous

Sadia Marjia Ferdous is a Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. She completed her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. She has a work experience of more than 4 years at the Institute of Water Modelling, Bangladesh. Her research interest focuses on water quality, treatment, and environmental microbiology. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of microorganisms in improving water quality. Besides, she enjoys traveling, exploring new places, watching movies, reading, and photography.
 

Muhtashim Rafiq Chowdhury

Muhtashim Rafiq Chowdhury is a Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. He completed his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He worked for more than 4 years at the Institute of Water Modelling, Bangladesh in the topographic and bathymetric surveying field. He was also the lab-in-charge of the water quality lab there. He is interested in water quality, treatment, environmental microbiology and UAV mapping. His research focuses on understanding the role of microorganisms in improving air and water quality. He enjoys hiking, watching movies, reading, and playing football.

Abigail Leslie

Abigail is an undergrad student at Case Western Reserve University, double majoring in biochemistry and environmental studies. She is interested in marine biology, and the intersection of events between the two biospheres interacting; she is hoping to explore this relationship through the lens of biochemistry. During her free time, she enjoys fencing, writing, and listening to music.

Joshua Eagle

Josh Eagle is a undergrad civil and environmental engineering student at Case Western Reserve University. He is interested in sustainable building, biological ocean systems, and how the changes humans have made to our environment in turn affect us. He is a member of the glee club and the Delta Upsilon fraternity. In his free time he enjoys singing, mountain biking and petting his cats.

Maddie Maduzia

Maddie is an undergrad student at Case Western Reserve University, double majoring in biology and environmental studies with a minor in math. She is interested in zoology and ecology as she hopes to work with animals as a career. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and Empower CWRU. During her free time, she enjoys playing sports, exploring Cleveland with friends, and listening to music.

Former Lab Members

Delphine Clatanoff (Biology and International Studies, '23)

Mary Harten (Mechanical Engineering, '23)

Songchen Li (Civil Engineering, '23)

Emily Rego

Christopher Thomas (Mechanical Engineering, '23)