Water Quality Biotechnology Program

Rob Smith                                 smr0@email.uc.edu

A first year Ph.D. candidate and a Rindsberg Fellow, Rob earned his B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering at the University of Toledo in 1992 and 1995 respectively.  His Masters thesis examined reuse of municipal wastewater treatment residuals.  He joined the Water Quality Biotechnology (WQB) group in 2003 after spending seven years in the consulting field designing and troubleshooting municipal wastewater facilities in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

Rob has received numerous awards since joining the WQB group at the University of Cincinnati. He won a University Research Council summer graduate fellowship for 2004 and a Rindsberg Fellowship for 2005.  The purpose of the Rindsberg Fellowship is to prepare engineering Ph.D. candidates for academic careers.  In October 2004, Rob received an award for his poster presentation at the Water Environment Federal Technical Exposition and Conference (WEFTEC).  He has also received a research grant from Sigma Xi for 2005.

Rob's current research interests include nitrifier ecology and input of nitrifying microorganisms into suspended growth activated sludge systems to maintain nitrifier populations.  His dissertation aims to test the hypothesis that microorganisms produced from treatments of municipal wastewater sidestreams and input into mainstream treatment are successfully incorporated into flocculated biomass.  The objective is to provide engineering guidance for design of short solids retention time (SRT) nitrification systems.  The research utilizes advanced techniques in molecular biology and respirometry to characterize microbial community structure and function.

Rob's long-term goals include conducting research on the ecology of wastewater treatment and teaching molecular biology and other advanced environmental engineering topics to graduate and undergraduate students.  He is preparing himself for a future full-time faculty position by working as a teaching assistant for Dr. Oerther and through an appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Sciences.

Rob is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio, a native of Ohio, and lives in College Hill with his wife and two children.  His other interests include music, college football, golf, and birdwatching.

[View my CV]

Questions? Contact Daniel B. Oerther.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Room 765 Baldwin Hall; Box 210071
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0071, USA
(513) 556-3670; (513) 556-2599 (fax)