Dr. Sunny Jiang
Principal Investigator, Professor
sjiang@uci.edu

Dr. Sunny Jiang is a professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with joint appointment with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Jiang teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Environmental Processes, Microbiology for Engineers and Desalination & Water Reuse. She has over 20 years of experience in environmental microbiology research and is a leader in the field of water quality, pathogen detection, microbial risk assessment and membrane biofouling. She has authored over 70 research publications in the field of environmental microbiology (http://www.researcherid.com/rid/H-7702-2012). Dr. Jiang received her Ph.D. degree in Marine Science from University of South Florida and completed her postdoctoral training with Dr. Rita Colwell in University of Maryland. She is a recipient of several honors and awards including Excellent Research Mentor Award and Sacket Prize for Innovative Research. During her spare time, Dr. Jiang enjoys outdoor activities and has completed eight full marathons and many half marathons.

Current Laboratory Members

Dr. Gyuhyon Cha
Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Gyuhyon Cha is a postdoctoral scholar in Sunny Jiang’s lab. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2024 as a Fulbright scholar, under the supervision of Dr. Kostas Konstantinidis, following his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Korea University. His Ph.D. research enhanced SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in wastewater by demonstrating the efficacy of passive Moore swabs over traditional methods and developing a novel RNA preservation technique using PSAP beads, thereby making public health monitoring more accessible. Currently, he is expanding his research to track the sources of antibiotic-resistant genes and bacteria (ARGs and ARBs) in the environment and their removal in wastewater treatment processes. Dr. Cha is skilled in bioinformatic analysis of metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and running.

Dr. Yen Hsiang Huang
Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Yen Hsiang Huang is a Postdoctoral Researcher supervised by Professor Sunny Jiang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI. He received his Ph.D. from UCI in 2024. His research has focused on developing rapid, portable, and user-friendly methods for monitoring antibiotics, microbial pathogens, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater. He developed a rapid and label-free method for sensing antibiotics in wastewater using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). By utilizing SERS substrates with carefully designed nano-gap spacing, this method can quantify antibiotics in wastewater down to the parts-per-billion (ppb) level without any sample preparation steps. Additionally, he designed and manufactured centrifugal microfluidic discs (CDs) that integrate the entire workflow needed for virus and ARB detection in wastewater. This research aims to develop lab-on-a-CD systems that eliminate the need for a centralized laboratory and well-trained personnel to perform monitoring assays, thereby facilitating broader accessibility and faster responses to emerging threats. His current research involves expanding the application of CD technology to broader fields and applying quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to evaluate the risk posed by antibiotic-resistant pathogens in various exposure scenarios. In his free time, he loves traveling and hanging out with his little dog Benny.

Katherine Brenner
Ph.D. Student

Katherine Brenner is a third-year Ph.D. student under Professor Sunny Jiang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI. During her undergraduate studies at UCLA, she was involved with the COVID-19 wastewater project, Natural & Working Lands California Air Resource Board Health Scenario Tool, and the Mahendra environmental engineering lab. Her interests include researching how microorganisms can be used to create bioremediation techniques to improve water quality. She is specifically interested in utilizing her public health background to address environmental engineering multifaceted problems, with an emphasis on improving health outcomes.

Jacquelynn Nguyen
Ph.D. Student

Jacquelynn Nguyen is a third-year Ph.D. student under Professor Sunny Jiang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI. She is currently involved in the development of hydrogel bio-beads, containing bacteria and biochar, as a media for the absorption, removal, and degradation of microcystins in surface water. Jacquelynn graduated in 2022 from Oregon State University (OSU) with a B.S in Environmental Engineering and a minor in Toxicology. At OSU, she was involved in a study investigating the antibiotic resistance E.coli trends in wastewater and biosolids in wastewater treatment plants across Oregon. In her free time, Jacquelynn loves to play video games, scrapbooking her various adventures, and embroider. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynn-nguyen/

Aiswarya Rani Pappu, M.S.
Ph.D. Candidate

Aiswarya Rani Pappu is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate supervised by Professor Sunny Jiang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI. She entered UCI in Fall 2021 in the Environmental Engineering program as a doctoral student. She is interested in understanding fate and transport of pathogens. She is currently involved in a wastewater SARS-CoV-2 monitoring project in the UCI campus communities. This project aims to provide an mechanism for early- and real-time warning of infection in the community, and use the outcomes to guide public health protection policy. Before UCI, Aiswarya received her Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. She also worked as an Associate Environmental Engineer at Stantec, Pasadena for a couple of years. In her free time she loves to paint, go hiking, listen to music, and do gardening.

Ashley Green, M.S.
Ph.D. Candidate

Ashley Green is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate supervised by Professor Sunny Jiang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI. She entered UCI in Fall 2020 in the Environmental Engineering program as a doctoral student. She is currently involved in a wastewater surveillance project for SARS-CoV-2 locally in Southern California. This project aims to quantify the concentration of viral RNA in the wastewater and improve the sampling design for SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater collection systems. Before UCI, she got her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and, interned for the Central Coast Water Board and City of Los Angeles Sanitation. In her free time, she loves cooking, hanging with her dog Ema, volunteering with local environmental justice and LGBTQ+ organizations, and playing (and hopefully winning) board games.

Alexis Guerra
Ph.D. Candidate

Alexis Guerra is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Environmental Health Sciences Program under Dr. Sunny Jiang’s supervision at UCI. Her research focuses on coastal ocean microbiomes and water quality along urban communities, including Southern California. She aims to understand how human pathogens carried by waste flowing to the ocean contribute to the population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in ocean water and beach sand. She collaborates with research teams across the U.S., Europe, and Australia to spearhead a publication on an international coastal water quality project. Before entering Dr. Jiang’s lab, Alexis earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at UCI. She worked on antibiotic resistance research as an undergraduate in the UCI Minority Science Program. She enjoys hiking, photography, crocheting, and going to the beach during her free time.

Yifei Wang
M.S. Student

Yifei Wang is major in environmental engineering, currently furthering her research skills as a Master’s student under the guidance of Professor Sunny Jiang at the University of California, Irvine. A recent graduate from China, Yifei holds a background in lab research, particularly in the cultivation of phosphorus-accumulating bacteria during her undergraduate studies. In her final year, she joined Professor Jiang’s team as an exchange student, embarking on a literature review focused on SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater—a project that remains active. Outside the lab, Yifei indulges in photography, explores new travel destinations, and enjoys movies.

Matthew Hileman
Undergraduate Researcher

Matthew Hileman is a fourth-year UCI undergraduate pursuing a major in Public Health Sciences with a minor in Health Statistics. He joined the Sunny Jiang Lab in Summer 2023 as part of his acceptance into UCI’s Public Health Research Honors Program. Underneath the mentorship of Ph.D. student Ashley Green, his primary project consists of contributing new virus data to and analyzing trends in The Jiang Lab’s 2020-2021 wastewater surveillance database. Prior to this work, in Fall 2023 Matthew joined and remains a researcher in the UCI German Lab, through which he presented his research at UROP and co-authored: [1] “Can you stomach it? Comparative transcriptomics and biochemistry of the stomachs of prickleback fishes consuming different diets” & [2] “Guiding the Direction of Future Organotin Research on Marine Invertebrates”. When not busy, Matthew enjoys writing, playing the piano, singing, writing and listening to music, crocheting, embroidering, reading, and gaming. His current goals are to finish his Bachelor’s, pursue a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences, and eventually attain a government position where he will specialize in water quality, protection, and pollution-prevention.

Javin Chung
Undergraduate Researcher

Javin Chung is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a major in Biological Sciences and joined Dr. Jiang’s lab in Winter of 2023. He is currently assisting Jacquelynn Nguyen in the development of hydrogel bio-beads as a media for the adsorption, removal, and degradation of microcystins. Javin loves to surf at Huntington Beach and go on hikes in his free time.

Jeanette Arellano
Visiting Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Jeanette Arellano graduated from CSUF with a major in molecular biology and is a biotechnology post-baccalaureate candidate from CSULA. She joined Dr. Sunny Jiang’s Lab to work with Alexis Guerra in the summer of 2024. Jeanette is currently assisting Alexis in her research by sampling water and sand for microbes, performing DNA extractions, and learning computational skills (coding and organization/filing). She enjoys connecting with nature, whether going to the beach, hiking, or walking around her neighborhood.

Michelle Kirgan
Undergraduate Researcher

Michelle Kirgan is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a major in Environmental Engineering. She joined Dr. Jiang’s lab in Fall of 2024 and is currently assisting Alexis Guerra in her work on human fecal markers and bacterial and fungal populations in ocean water and beach sand. In her free time, she loves to crochet and play video games.

Richie Tran
Undergraduate Researcher

Richie Tran is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing Civil Engineering while specializing in structural engineering. He joined Dr. Jiang’s lab in Winter of 2024 with the interest of learning more about research and is currently helping Ashley Green with her research in wastewater-based epidemiology, and more specifically in wastewater surveillance. He is also part of the VALORANT competitive collegiate team at UCI and loves to surf and do outside activities when he has the time.