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Welcome to Chu Biotechnology Lab  

Our lab is in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at at Texas A&M University. 

Our research interests are in enhancing our understanding of microbial-mediated processes in natural and engineered systems, and in developing novel biotechnologies to address various environmental problems and sustainable issues in water, soils, food, and energy.  

The Chu lab uses applied microbiology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, isotopic techniques, chemical analysis, and phage biology to study environmental biological systems, with particular focus on (i) biodegradation and treatment of environmental pollutants such as emerging contaminants (PFAS, PPCPs, endocrine disruptors, antibiotics, plastics, munitions) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), (ii) production of bioenergy and bioproducts from renewable resources and/or organic wastes, and (iii) detecting, tracking, and quantifying microorganisms that are important to water quality, bioremediation, phytoremediation, carbon sequestration and precious metals recovery.  Other areas of research include the development and application of novel sorbents/catalysts for removing environmental pollutants and bioconcrete.