Research

At the Hegarty Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, we use “big data” and “ multi-omic” approaches to understand and engineer the microbiomes of built and natural environments in order to preserve both human and environmental health. Our two major foci are to (1) shift infrastructure design to promote healthy microbial communities and (2) improve ecosystem services through microbial community design.

flow diagram illustrating the cyclical role of omic and big data approaches to (1) shift infrastructure design to promote healthy microbial communities and (2) improve ecosystem services through microbial community design.

We currently have active projects in two main areas:

  1. Developing novel phage-based drinking water treatment technologies

  2. Characterizing what makes a healthy indoor microbiome

    1. INHALE: Improving Neighborhoods for Healthy Air and Living Environments 

We also have on-going collaborations related to harmful algal blooms and wastewater phages. If you are interested in collaborations (whether in these or other related areas), email Prof. Bridget Hegarty. Our lab is also recruiting new undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs. If you reach out about open positions, including your favorite color in the email will increase the likelihood of a response.

To read more about our work, check out Prof. Bridget Hegarty’s Google Scholar and our lab's Github.