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Claudia K. Gunsch

Muriel Theodorsen Williams E'46 Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708-0287
225 Wilkinson Building, Durham, NC 27708

Research Interests


Identifying genetic adaptation mechanisms resulting from anthropogenic contaminant exposure; developing biosensors capable of pathogen and contaminant detection in water and air; studying the impact of emerging contaminants on aquatic microbial ecology; and the development of novel techniques for controlling pathogen proliferation

Selected Grants


Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029

NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2027

University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2027

Convergence RAISE: Harnessing Extracellular Vesicle Mediated Interkingdom Communication

ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2019 - 2023

COVID Sampler: a wastewater collection technology optimized for pathogen surveillance at the building scale

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2021 - 2022

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029

NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2027

University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2027

Convergence RAISE: Harnessing Extracellular Vesicle Mediated Interkingdom Communication

ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2019 - 2023

COVID Sampler: a wastewater collection technology optimized for pathogen surveillance at the building scale

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2021 - 2022

Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2021

NRT: Integrative Bioinformatics for Investigating and Engineering Microbiomes (IBIEM)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2015 - 2021

Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2008 - 2021

Chemical evolution and plant-microbe degradation of petroleum in saline marsh plants and soils

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Tulane University · 2016 - 2019

Cooperative Program in Nanomaterials Hazard and Exposure Assessment Traineeships (NanoHEAT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by Environmental Protection Agency · 2015 - 2018

Investigating the Role of Genetically Modified Crop Transgenes in the Proliferation of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2014 - 2018

REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2014 - 2018

Exploring The Interface Between Genomics, Transcriptomics and Metabolomics for Environmental, Agricultural and Health Applications

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Research Triangle Institute International · 2015 - 2016

REU: Research Experience for Undergraudates on Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2010 - 2014

CAREER: Genetic Adaptation in Soils Resulting from Microbial Exposure to Anthropogenic Contaminants

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2009 - 2014

Fate of Biosolid Derived Organic Contaminants in Soils and Effects on Soil Microbial Communities

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2009 - 2013

To Support the WERC Design Contest

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Lord Foundation of North Carolina · 2007 - 2012

Studying Exposure to Biological Indoor Air Contaminants in North Carolina: An Interactive Research Project for Undergraduate Environmental Engineering Students

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Lord Foundation of North Carolina · 2006 - 2007

External Relationships


  • Association for Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
  • Elsevier Inc.
  • Hong Kong Grant Research Council
  • National University of Singapore

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.