Protect Public Health, Preserve Natural Resources
Environmental and water resources engineers develop solutions that improve water quality, protect ecosystems and promote sustainable communities. Their work addresses some of society’s most pressing challenges, including drinking water treatment, wastewater management, stormwater control, groundwater protection, environmental remediation and renewable water technologies.
Students gain a strong foundation in environmental processes while working alongside faculty to solve real-world problems affecting communities locally and globally.
Faculty
Research Strengths
Faculty conduct research in areas including:
- Drinking water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
- PFAS and emerging contaminants
- Biological and physiochemical treatment processes
- Membrane technologies
- Nutrient removal
- Water quality
- Stormwater management
- Hazardous waste management
- Renewable energy
- Environmental nanotechnology
- Wetlands
- Environmental policy
Facilities
The environmental and water resources laboratories support undergraduate education, graduate research and sponsored research in water treatment and environmental engineering. Students and researchers have access to advanced analytical instrumentation for water quality analysis, contaminant characterization, materials evaluation and environmental process studies, including chromatography, spectroscopy and materials characterization systems.
Research Centers
Missouri Water Center
The Missouri Water Center (MWC) is Mizzou’s interdisciplinary hub for water research, education and outreach, bringing together faculty from engineering, agriculture, natural resources, social sciences and other disciplines to address Missouri’s most pressing water challenges. Through partnerships with state and federal agencies, industry and local communities, the Center advances innovative research in water quality, flood and drought resilience, watershed management, advanced monitoring technologies and water policy. The MWC also plays a vital role in educating the next generation of water professionals by providing students with hands-on research experiences and opportunities to collaborate with stakeholders on real-world water resource challenges.