Every drop of water matters to Dr. Joan Rose and her research team who she calls “water detectives.” Joan is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and she co-directs both MSU’s Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) and its Center for Water Sciences (CWS).

Joan, together with her water detectives, are developing new genetic analytics to study waterborne health threats. Water quality studies today tend to focus on the indicators of pathogens, but Joan’s work targets actual threat agents such as viruses, mapping water quality and health risks in waterways throughout the world.

Joan is a pioneer in the emerging science of viral metagenomics – sequencing virus DNA in water sources, discharges and shipping ballast using next-generation high-throughput technology. Such technology promises to significantly improve methods protect water and food supplies, and Joan now is applying it to assess the safety of fresh produce.

Her global activity includes investigation of waterborne disease outbreaks and the study of water supplies, treatment, and reclamation. Her applied research interests include study of microbial pathogens in recreational waters and climatic factors impacting water quality.

National & International Appointments

Recent Publications

Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, Member of the Membership Committee, Section 4, 2021-2023

Member of the International Joint Commission, Health Professionals Advisory Board. Appointed 2016-2025

Member of the Science Advisory Board for the Shedd Aquarium, 2016-Current

Member of Independent Advisory Panel (Panel) to support the California State Water Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to support to support the State Water Board in developing direct potable reuse regulations

Member of the Task Force for the Council for Agriculture, Science and Technology Issue Paper on the topic, “Animal Agriculture and Zoonoses in the Time of COVID. A One Health Perspective.” 2020-2021

Water Quality Advisory Public Utilities Board Singapore 2021-2022, Chair of the PUB Water Fellows Program

Chair of the External Advisory Board for the Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Canada 2020-2024

Member of the Programme Committee for the Stockholm International Water Institute World Water Week 2019-2022

Member of the Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI), Project Evaluation Panel (PEP) of Environment and Water Research Programme (EWRP), Singapore 2015-2022

2022 Grants

Co-Investigator. 2020-2023.  “Integrating a rapid nanopore sequencing platform for building the virome of marine mammal’s associated environments.”  Office of Navy Research .  $152,193

Co-Principal Investigator 2020-2025, “QMRA IV- Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Interdisciplinary Vehicle: Addressing Emerging Global Health Risks” NIH,  $2,309,335.00

Principal Investigator 2021-2022, “SARS-CoV-2 Environmental Surveillance Data Repository” PATH,  $661,992.00

 Principal Investigator 2021-2022 “Occurrence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) along with known biological indicators in waste waters of Mumbai city”  Indo-US Science & Technology Forum,    $13,427.17

Principal Investigator 2021-2023, “SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology – Wastewater Evaluation and Reporting (SEWER) Network.”  Michigan Department of Human Health Services (MDHHS),  $1,230,048.00

Co-Principal Investigator 2021-2024,  ” Quantitative Methods for New Indigenous Viruses in Wastewater: Improving the Assessment of Reuse Treatment Performance” EPA,  $  1,239,240.00

Co-Principal Investigator (Univ Michigan primary) 2022-2023 “Water Infrastructure Regional Planning,  Michigan Dept of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy $89,785.00

Principal Investigator  2022-2023 “Wastewater Analysis for SARS-CoV2, City of Philadelphia” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  $638,000.00

Principal Investigator 2022-2023 “SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology – Wastewater Evaluation and Reporting (SEWER) Network” Michigan Dept of Health & Human Services $1,230,048.00

Co-Principal Investigator (Dreelin, PI)   2022-2023  MiNET Beach Support Michigan Dept of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy  $100,948.50

1. Graydon, R.C.; Mezzacapo, M.; Boehme, J. Foldy, S.; Edge, T.A.; Brubacher, J. Chan, H.M.; Dellinger, M.; Faustman, E.M.; Rose, J.B. and Takaro, T.K. 2022. Associations between extreme precipitation, drinking water and protozoan acute gastrointestinal illnesses in four North American Great Lakes cities (2009-2014) Journal of Water and Health 20 (5), 849-862.
2. Montagnino, E., Lytle, D.A., Rose, J.B. Cwiertny, D., and Whelton, A.J. 2022. School and childcare center drinking water: Copper chemistry, health effects, occurrence, and remediation AWWA Water Science, Volume4, Issue2 March/April 2022 e1270 First published: 17 March 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1270
3. Logan-Jackson, AR and Rose, JB  2022. Water Age Effects on the Occurrence and Concentration of Legionella Species in the Distribution System, Premise Plumbing, and the Cooling Towers. Microorganisms Vol 10 (1) Article Number 81. DOI10.3390/microorganisms10010081
4. Flood, MT; Hernandez-Suarez, JS;; Nejadhashemi, AP; Martin, SL; Hyndman, D.;  Rose, JB 2022. Connecting microbial, nutrient, physiochemical, and land use variables for the evaluation of water quality within mixed use watersheds  Jul 1 2022 | Water Research 219: Article Number118526 DOI10.1016/j.watres.2022.118526
5. Kooltheat, N.; Rose, J.B.,  Katzenmeier,G. and Srisuphanunt, M. 2022  Public Health and Water Quality Issues In South-Western Thailand After The December 2004 Tsunami: Lessons Learned And Accted Upon.  Journal of Tsunami Society International Vol 41 (2)
6. Okaali, DA; Bateganya, NL; Evans, B; Ssazi, JG; Moe, CL; Mugambe, RK; Murphy, H; Nansubuga, I; Nkurunziza, AG; Rose, JB; Tumwebaze, IK; Verbyla, ME; Way, C; Yakubu, H and Hofstra, N.  2022 Tools for a comprehensive assessment of public health risks associated with limited sanitation services provision. Environment and Planning B-Urban Analytics and City Science Vol 49 (8): Pgs 2091-2111   DOI10.1177/23998083221120824
7. Wilson, AM; Martin, SL; Verhougstraete, MP; Kendall, AD; Zimmer-Faust, AG; Rose, JB; Bell, ML; and Hyndman, DW 2022  Detangling Seasonal Relationships of Fecal Contamination Sources and Correlates with Indicators in Michigan Watersheds  Microbiology Spectrum  Aug 31;10(4):e0041522  DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00415-22
8. Sivaganesan, M; Willis, JR; Karim, M; Babatola, A; Catoe, D; Boehm, AB; Wilder, M; Green, H; Lobos, A; Harwood, VJ; Hertel, S; Klepikow, R; Howard, MF; Laksanalamai, P; Roundtree, A; Mattioli, M; Eytcheson, S; Molina, M; Lane, M; Rediske, R; Ronan, A; D’Souza, N; Rose, JB; Shrestha, A; Hoar, C; Silverman, AI; Faulkner, W; Wickman, K; Kralj, JG; Servetas, SL; Hunter, ME; Jackson, SA and Shanks, OC 2022 Interlaboratory performance and quantitative PCR data acceptance metrics for NIST SRM (R) 2917 Water Research Vol 225, Article Number119162, DOI10.1016/j.watres.2022.119162