Skip to main content

Civil & Environmental Engineering Research

Student collecting samples from lakeshore

Environmental engineering and science

Environmental engineering and science is concerned with the quality and availability of environmental resources (for example, water, air, soil), and with the waste streams that impact them. The field is dynamic and has evolved to also encompass sustainability science, alternative energy sources, and environmental biotechnology.

The environmental engineering and science group at UW-Madison is recognized internationally for its strengths in the areas of wastewater treatment, water treatment, microbial ecology, modeling of microbial interactions, and the detection of air pollutants. Our core faculty have particular strength in the biological aspects of environmental engineering, as well as water chemistry and air quality, and in the emerging areas of bioinformatics and biofuel production. We conduct applied and fundamental research in both the natural and built environments. Laboratory experiments, field methods, molecular biology tools, pilot-scale treatment systems, analytical chemistry, and modeling approaches are combined to address scientific and engineering questions leading to a more sustainable water environment and better air quality.

Core faculty

Centers, consortia and institutes

Research is conducted in the Environmental Engineering Core Facility in Engineering Hall and the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory located on the south shore of Lake Mendota. Students also conduct research off campus in many other areas, including: