faculty.Claudia Gunsch

Claudia K. Gunsch, Assistant Professor

Dr. Claudia Gunsch began her academic career at Purdue University where she earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1998. She then matriculated to Clemson University where she earned her M.S. in 2000 and immediately entered the doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Gunsch comes to Duke with a wide range of research experiences in microbial engineering systems. Gunsch’s research has primarily focused on pollutant degradation as applied to groundwater and air pollution treatment. During the early stages of her graduate studies, her work focused on chlorinated compound degradation by bacteria in groundwater. During her doctoral work, she investigated the fungal degradation of aromatic compounds in biofiltration. As part of her innovative research, she incorporates quantitative molecular biological techniques into her research to link macroscale vapor-phase bioreactor performance to phenomena occurring at the microscale in the biofilm.

At Duke, Gunsch plans to continue her research with projects that further link biotechnology to environmental engineering applications. Some of the projects which she plans to incorporate into her research program include: 1) the development of biosensors capable of pathogen and contaminant detection in water and air, 2) the use of DNA chips to study the microbial ecology of groundwater and air treatment systems, 3) the isolation and identification of novel genes in environmentally relevant microorganisms and 4) the development of methods to control the release of genetically engineered microorganisms in natural and controlled environments. In addition to her research interests, she will be teaching basic and advanced classes in environmental engineering such as such as molecular biology for engineers and environmental microbiology.

Education

• Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2004
  Dissertation: Linking Gene Expression to Performance in a Fungal Biofilter Treating Ethylbenzene
• M.S., Clemson University, 2000
  Thesis: Aerobic Cometabolism of Chlorinated Ethylenes by a Bacterial Isolate that Uses Vinyl Chloride as Primary Substrate
• B.S. Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 1998

Professional Experience

• Assistant Professor, Duke University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2004- present)
• Teaching Assistant, University of Texas (Fall 2003)
• Graduate Technical Writing Consultant, University of Texas (Fall 2001)
• Research Assistant, University of Texas (Fall 2000-Spring 2004)
• Staff Engineer, RMT, Inc. (Summer 1998, Summer 2000)
• Teaching Assistant, Clemson University (Fall 1998- Spring 1999)
• Research Assistant, Clemson University (Fall 1998- Spring 2000)
• Research Assistant, Purdue University (Fall 1997)
• Staff Engineer, General Motors (Summer 1995, 1996, & 1997)

Sample Publications

• C.K. Gunsch, K.A. Kinney, P.J. Szaniszlo and C.P. Whitman, "Relative Gene Expression Quantification in a Fungal Gas-Phase Biofilter". Bioengineering and Biotechnology. In Press.
• C.K. Gunsch, K.A. Kinney, P.J. Szaniszlo and C.P. Whitman, "Quantification of Homogentisate-1,2-Dioxygenase Expression in the Fungus Exophiala lecanii-corni". Journal of Microbiological Methods. 2006. 67(2):257-265.
• C.K. Gunsch, Q. Cheng, K.A. Kinney, P.J. Szaniszlo and C.P. Whitman, "Identification of a Homogentisate-1,2-Dioxygenase Gene in the Fungus Exophiala lecanii-corni: Analysis and Implications". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2005. 68(3):405-411.
• M.F. Verce, C.K. Gunsch, A.S. Danko, D.L. Freedman, "Cometabolism of cis-1,2-Dichloroethene by Aerobic Cultures Grown on Vinyl Chloride as the Primary Substrate". Environmental Science and Technology. 2002. 36(10):2171-2177.

Courses Taught

• CE 24L - Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science
• CE 239L/BME 240L - Environmental Molecular Biotechnology
• CE 250 - Environmental Biotechnology

Honors and Awards

• University of Texas Graduate Engineering Council Travel Award (2001, 2002 and 2003)
• University of Texas THRUST 2000 Fellowship (2000-2004)
• University of Texas Bruton Fellowship (2000-2004)
• University of Texas Environmental Engineering Departmental Fellowship (2001)
• National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship (1999-2004)
• 1999 EPA STAR Masters Student Graduate Fellowship (Declined, Accepted the NSF Fellowship)
• Clemson University Environmental Engineering and Science Departmental Fellowship (1999)
• Clemson University Alumni Fellowship (1998)
• General Motors Scholarship (1998)
• Purdue Engineering Student Council Scholarship (1996 and 1997)
• Society of Women in Engineering Scholarship (1995)

Professional and Service Activities

• Chi Epsilon
• Phi Sigma Pi
• Phi Eta Sigma
• Alpha Lambda Delta
• American Society of Microbiology (1999-Current)
• American Chemical Society (1999-Current)
• Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (1999-Current)
• American Society for Engineering Education (2001-Current)

Current and Ongoing Research

• Identification of gene expression variations linked to vapor-phase biofilter performance
• Development of biosensors capable of pathogen and contaminant detection in water and air
• Use of DNA chips to study the microbial ecology of groundwater and air treatment systems
• Isolation and identification of novel genes in environmentally relevant microorganisms
• Development of methods to control the release of genetically engineered microorganisms in natural and controlled environments