Welcome to
H LAB @ Utah Water Research Lab
H LAB
H LAB is dedicated to investigating and utilizing functional microbial communities to promote water quality and resource recovery in engineered and natural systems in H lab. 'H' in the logo represents our goal to Applied Environmental Microbiology in Waste Recycling and Biotechnology via the One Health approach. To achieve this goal, the lab applies various methodologies such as genome sequencing, metabolic engineering, and metabolite analysis in the engineering aspect to understand how the contaminants interact with microbes to enhance the removal or valorization of contaminants.
The lab's research interests fall under two themes:
exploring the interactions between microbes and multi-contaminants to track the transport, source, and driver of multiple pollutants in urban water;
understanding the interactions like biodegradation mechanisms of pollutants to minimize and valorize waste using microbes.
Latest News
March 2025
Paper "Development and validation of a novel suspended particulate matter sampling device for analysis of particle-bound microbial communities" published in Microbiology.
February 2025
Paper "Innovative Multiplex qPCR Method for Rapid and Reliable Detection of Microcystin-Producing Genes during Harmful Algal Blooms: Insights from Utah Reservoirs" published in Water Research.
January 2025
Welcome Akib Al Mahir to our lab as a Ph.D. graduate student!
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR (2024)
December 2024
Paper "Binding Strength and Transport Kinetics of Organic Dyes into Different Live Diatoms Using Second Harmonic Scattering Spectroscopy" published in ACS Applied Bio Materials.
Paper "Co-occurrence of direct and indirect extracellular electron transfer mechanisms during electroactive respiration in a dissimilatory sulfate reducing bacterium" published in Microbiology Spectrum.
September 2024
Welcome Kesler Hortin as an undergraduate research assistant!
Paper "Unnoticed antimicrobial resistance risk in Tibetan cities unveiled by sewage metagenomic surveillance: compared to the eastern Chinese cities" published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Welcome Mingyue Li to our lab as a visiting scholar!
Hou Lab Assistant
Have any question regarding Hou Lab? Ask our newly hired Hou Lab Assistant! It will instantly answer your questions 24/7!
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TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR (2024)
August 2024
Congrats to Ceaira on receiving the IBE Travel Award!
Paper "Distinct influences of altitude on microbiome and antibiotic resistome assembly in a glacial river ecosystem of Mount Everest" published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Paper "Draft genome of the caprolactam-degrading Paenarthrobacter sp. CAP02 isolated from a landfill" published in Microbiology Resource Announcements.
July 2024
An NSF CBET Grant was awarded to the Hou Lab!
Paper "Mixotrophic aerobic denitrification enhanced by inorganic electron donor: Novel insights into iron valence and nirS-type denitrifying bacterial community model" published in Journal of Water Process Engineering.
June 2024
Paper "Amplified and Distinctive Genotoxicity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Transformed Yeast Reporters with Human Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Genes" published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Paper "Energy and economic assessment of hydrothermal-treatment-coupled anaerobic digestion" published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
May 2024
Welcome Brody Whiteaker to our lab as an undergraduate research assistant.
April 2024
Welcome Emily Samuels to our lab as an undergraduate research assistant.
February 2024
Welcome Alaa Elmesery as a visiting scholar!
January 2024
Paper "Alternations of antibiotic resistance genes and microbial community dynamics on shared bicycles before and after pandemic lockdown" published in Science of the Total Environment. Dr. Hou is one of co-corresponding authors.
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE (2023)
December 2023
Paper "Aerobic Denitrification Promoting by Actinomycetes Coculture: Investigating Performance, Carbon Source Metabolic Characteristic, and Raw Water Restoration" published in Environmental Science & Technology, the best journal in environmental field.
November 2023
Paper "Advancing early warning and surveillance for zoonotic diseases under climate change: Interdisciplinary systematic perspectives" published in Advances in Climate Change Research.
October 2023
Paper "Mass-immigration shapes the antibiotic resistome of wastewater treatment plants" published in Science of the Total Environment.
September 2023
Paper "Diatoms in wastewater treatment: Potentials, applications, and values of biomass" published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. This is the first paper originally generated by Dr. Hou's Lab.
Welcome Sarah O. Makled to our lab as a visiting scholar!
August 2023
Welcome Peerzada Madany to the Hou lab as a Ph.D. graduate student!
June 2023
Delighted to welcome Ceaira Howard, our new M.S. student!
May 2023
Paper "Urbanization influenced the interactions between dissolved organic matter and bacterial communities in rivers" published in Journal of Environmental Management.
Paper "Promoted aerobic denitrification through denitrifying fungal communities: Co-occurrence patterns and treatment of low C/N micro-polluted water" published in Science of The Total Environment.
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO (2022)
December 2022
Welcome Donald Olsen to our lab as an Engineering Undergraduate Research Scholar.
November 2022
Paper "Insight into variation and controlling factors of dissolved organic matter between urban rivers undergoing different anthropogenic influences" published in Journal of Environmental Management.
Welcome Angela Zhan! Angela joined us as a high school volunteer.
Paper "Seasonal hydrological dynamics govern lifestyle preference of aquatic antibiotic resistome" published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology.
October 2022
Paper "Effects of land-use patterns on the biogeography of the sediment bacteria in the Yarlung Tsangpo River" published in FEMS Microbiology Ecology.
Paper "Storm promotes the dissemination of antibiotic resistome in an urban lagoon through enhancing bio-interactions" published in Environment International.
September 2022
Paper "Network analysis reveals significant joint effects of microplastics and tetracycline on the gut than the gill microbiome of marine medaka" published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.
August 2022
Welcome Tahira Rahman! Tahira joined the H Lab as an M.S. student.
Dr. Liyuan (Joanna) Hou launched the H Lab!
