Nuha Alfahham

anuha@umich.edu
PhD Environmental Engineering
Advisors: Krista Wigginton & Lutgarde Raskin

BEng in Biochemical & Environmental Engineering, University of Western Ontario
MSc in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University

Research Interests:
My passion lies in innovative water research, particularly at the intersection of environmental engineering and human health. As an interdisciplinary researcher, I focus on the impact of ultraviolet disinfection (UV) on opportunistic pathogens in drinking water. My research aims to address critical gaps in existing UV research and reduce public health risks by rapidly assessing the viability of pathogens in UV-treated drinking water using novel molecular methods. Currently, I am working on a new approach that assesses the viability of the slow growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) by analyzing precursor ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA changes) following disinfection. This will assist drinking water providers in evaluating the effectiveness of emerging disinfection strategies and improving public health. Additionally, I am involved in a Water Research Foundation Tailored Collaboration (TC) project that investigates the impact of UV treatment on microbial communities in full-scale water distribution systems. In addition to collaborating with industry leaders to facilitate the dissemination of my findings, my current involvement at Brown and Caldwell will help facilitate applying my findings to the practical challenges of real-world water treatment and distribution systems.

Research Projects:

  • Unhealthy to Healthy Drinking Water Microbiomes: Can UV Treatment Promote This Shift?, University of Michigan

  • Impact of UV treatment on microbial communities in a full-scale drinking water distribution system, Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant

  • Destruction of PFAS Compounds in Water Using Vacuum UV Technologies, Brown & Caldwell, MI

  • COVID Pandemic Impacts on Water Demand Patterns in Southeast Michigan, Great Lakes Water Authority, MI 

  • Southern Water Services Water Recycling Pilot Plant, Southern Water, Hampshire, United Kingdom

  • Ultraviolet (UV) Sensor Devices, Trojan Technologies, London, ON

  • UV Disinfection System Anti-fouling Surface Treatment Technologies and Cleaning Solutions Trojan Technologies, ON


Other Interests:
I enjoy nature activities, swimming, snorkeling, open water sports, as well as visual arts, and traveling with my family. I am also passionate about humanitarian causes and social and environmental justice.


Awards and Activities:

  • Rackham Graduate Research Grant, UM, MI

  • Fellowship for Water Quality & Treatment Research, MI-AWWA, MI

  • Rackham Engineering Fellowship (REF/RMF), UM, MI

  • Industry’s Award of Excellence for graduation project: Municipal Wastewater Treatment with Nitrogen Control, UWO, ON

  • Diversity Champion Award, The Birmingham Race Relations and Diversity Task Force, MI

  • RNA Student & PostDoc Council member, Center for RNA Biomedicine, UM, MI

  • Co-founding and executive committee member, Great Lakes Stormwater Collaborative (GLSC), MI


Presentations and Publications:

  • Alfahham, N., Potgieter, S., Lahr, B., & Raskin, L. (2023). “Assessing the impact of UV disinfection on microbial viability and community structure in a full-scale drinking water”. 2023 Borchardt Conference, MWEA, Ann Arbor, MI.

  • Alfahham, N., Mudge, K., & Raskin, L. (2023). “Using pre-rRNA for the Species-specific Assessment of Opportunistic Pathogens in Drinking Water”. 7th Annual RNA Symposium, Center for RNA Biomedicine, Ann Arbor, MI.

  • Potgieter, S., Lahr, B., Vosloo, S., Dowdell, K., Vedrin, M., Page, S., Bautista-de los Santos, Q., Keown, J., Quneibi, T., Alfahham, N., Lee, S., Sandoval, S., Guo, Y., Pinto, A., Steglitz, B., & Raskin, L. (2023). “Assessing the impact of drinking water treatment on distribution system nitrifier populations: Collaborations between the City of Ann Arbor drinking water treatment plant and the University of Michigan”. 2023 Borchardt Conference, MWEA, Ann Arbor, MI.

  • Fritsche, J. R., Whitby, P., Griffin, E., Norton Jr, J. W., Alfahham, N., Kuhns, T., & Bell, K. Y. (2022). “Changes in water demand resulting from pandemic mitigations in Southeast Michigan”. AWWA Water Science, 4(3), e1286.

  • Alfahham, N. (2018). “Great Lakes Stormwater Collaborative–Closing the Gap in Technology Transfer''. , Watershed Management and Stormwater Seminar, MWEA, Lansing, MI.

  • Alfahham, N. (2017-2023). “Wastewater Collection and Treatment”, Professional Development Seminars, The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), Southfield, MI.