Susan K. De Long

Susan De Long is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University. She has over 20 years of experience working in the fields of environmental engineering and molecular biology. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both Environmental Science and Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. She earned an M.S. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from The University of Texas, Austin. Her research is focused on developing environmentally sustainable biotechnologies. On-going work is advancing technologies for generation of bioenergy and high-value chemicals from waste materials, biodegradation of emerging contaminants, site bioremediation, and water reuse. De Long’s research group develops novel molecular biology tools and applies molecular tools to investigate microbiomes involved in treatment processes and waste conversion processes. Her group leverages knowledge of microbiomes to improve treatment process design and operation. Additionally, De Long’s group is conducting research to discover genes and enzymes involved in degradation of recalcitrant pollutants; this knowledge will support development of molecular biology assays to track key microbes in natural or engineered systems to guide development of the next generation of treatment technologies. Current research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and industry partners.