Finding the connection between anthropogenic activities, environmental quality and human health

Rolf Halden, Ph.D., P.E., joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University in January of 2008. His research group, housed in the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at ASU's Biodesign Institute, seeks to advance public health and societal sustainability through the use of green chemistry and green engineering.

Halden, who specializes in bioremediation and the mass spectrometric determination of chemical and biological contaminants, is best known for his work on the occurrence of organohalogens, pharmaceuticals, and personal-care products in U.S. water resources, along with associated body burdens in humans. The Biodesign Institute's organizational structure complements his multi-disciplinary research that explores the connection between anthropogenic activities, environmental quality, and human health.

Current work concentrates on structural attributes of persistent manmade chemicals, the genomic and proteomic characterization of microbes feasting on toxic pollutants, and the development of in situ microcosm arrays for enhanced environmental monitoring and remediation. Prior to joining ASU, Halden was Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.