Education:

  • ​​​​​​Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2012
  • Ph.D., National University of Singapore, 2009
  • B.Eng., National University of Singapore, 2004

Research Interests:

Professor Hong’s research interests include molecular microbiology and microbial aspects in water and wastewater ecosystems. Her research aims to understand the roles and interactions of microorganisms in these ecosystems, and to utilize the insights to solve issues related to water quality and water reuse. Professor Hong’s research also looks at the biotic contaminants (e.g. antibiotic resistance genes, mobile genetic elements, pathogens) that are present in the natural and engineered environments.

Selected Publications

  • ​​Hong, P.-Y., X. Li, X. Yang, T. Shinkai, Y., Zhang, X. Wang, and R.I. Mackie (2012) Monitoring airborne biotic contaminants in the indoor environment of pig and poultry confinement buildings. Environmental Microbiology 14: 1420-31
  • Hong, P.-Y., C. Hwang, F. Ling, G.L. Andersen, M.W. LeChevallier, W.-T. Liu (2010) Pyrosequencing analysis of bacterial biofilm communities in water meters of a drinking water system. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76: 5631-5635
  • Hong, P.-Y., J.-H. Wu, and W.-T. Liu (2009) A high-throughput and quantitative hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE)-based approach to identify sources of fecal contamination in water bodies. Environmental Microbiology 11: 1672-1681
  • Hong, P.-Y., J.-H. Wu, and W.-T. Liu (2008) Relative abundance of Bacteroides spp. in stools and wastewaters as determined by hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74: 2882-2892
  • Pang, C.M., P.-Y. Hong, H.-L. Guo, and W.-T. Liu (2005) Biofilm formation characteristics of bacterial isolates retrieved from a reverse osmosis membrane. Environmental Science and Technology 39: 7541-7550