Gunsch Receives the 2016 Huber Research Prize

Claudia Gunsch, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke, has won the 2016 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Gunsch was recognized for "pioneering the development of gene silencing based water disinfection technology, significantly contributing to genetic bioaugmentation technology for the in situ bioremediation of organic contaminants and advancing our understanding of the impact of emerging contaminants on biological wastewater treatment."

Gunsch's research focuses on characterizing and engineering environmental microbiomes by applying fundamental concepts from the fields of microbiology, genomics and bioinformatics to environmental engineering applications. Some of her current research projects include exploring how microbes adapt and evolve when exposed to contaminants and developing innovative water treatment technologies for industrial and developing world applications.

Founded in 1852, ASCE is the nation's oldest engineering society and represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries. Through the expertise of its active membership, ASCE is a leading provider of technical and professional conferences and continuing education, the world's largest publisher of civil engineering content, and an authoritative source for codes and standards that protect the public.

The Huber Prize was founded in 1946 when Mrs. Alberta Reed Huber endowed annual awards to stimulate research in civil engineering in honor of her husband, Walter L. Huber, Past President, ASCE. These prizes are awarded to members of the ASCE in any grade for notable achievements in research related to civil engineering. Preference is given to younger members (generally under 40 years of age) of early accomplishment who can be expected to continue fruitful careers in research. Each award includes a certificate and a cash prize.