Liang Zhao, Ph.D.

Educational Background:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Michigan State University
Ph.D.; Environmental Engineering; Michigan State University
M.S.; Civil Engineering; University of Illinois Chicago
B.Eng.; Civil Engineering; Xi’an Jiaotong University

Teaching Interests: 
Environmental Health
Environmental Pollution and Controls
Environmental Standards and Regulations
Environmental Microbiology
Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health
Research Methods
Infectious Diseases

Research/Scholarship: 
As an environmental microbiologist and environmental health engineer, Dr. Zhao’s research focuses on understanding the fate of pathogens in the environment, advancing methods for their identification and detection, and translating these findings into actionable tools for infectious disease prediction. His research integrates environmental health engineering, microbiology, epidemiology, quantitative microbial risk assessment, bioinformatics, statistics and machine learning to support data-driven public health decision-making. Specifically, his research focuses on 1) developing cutting-edge techniques to detect and quantify microorganisms in the environment; 2) applying advanced models to integrate environmental, epidemiological, and clinical data for the characterization and prediction of public health risks; and 3) translating data-informed insights into public health decision-making to mitigate infectious diseases and enhance outbreak preparedness. His research also applies a One Health framework to environmental surveillance by tracking pathogens across interconnected human, animal, and environmental systems to better understand their emergence and transmission.
 
Google Scholar Profile

Professional Affiliations: 
Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
American Society for Microbiology
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Safety Professionals

Personal Interests: 
Tennis, pickleball, traveling, lakeside walks, language learning, world history