I received my B.S. in Agricultural Engineering (1984) and M.S. in Bioengineering (1986) from the University of Gent (Belgium).  My Ph.D. is in Soil and Environmental Science (1990) from the University of California-Riverside and I did postdoctoral work in Environmental Engineering Science at Stanford University. 

In 1992, I joined the faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - Program of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at The University of Michigan, where I am a Professor, and direct a research group of students, postdocs, and technical staff.  Over the years, my group has been supported by in excess of $ 25M. of extramural research funds as P.I. and Co-PI from various Federal and State agencies, as well as the private sector.  One current example is the $18M. University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study (UMDES) which brings together engineering, public health, biostatistics and social research experts.

My technical expertise includes (i) reactivity, fate pathways, cycling, and forensics of contaminants in environmental systems, (ii) development of innovative technology platforms for emissions management in natural and industrial systems; (iii) microbial and chemical sensing and control for environmental, industrial and biodefense applications, and (iv) market-based emissions control technology diffusion.  This work has been published in over 120 peer-reviewed publications, refereed conference proceedings and book chapters.

Since 2006, my work has focused on entrepreneurial curriculum development for scientists and engineers, and technical advising on CleanTech investments through my affiliation with the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Ross School of Business. Aside from my various affiliations with Schools and Institutes across campus, I am Professor at the Suzhou Institute of Sichuan University in China where I teach MBA classes on managing and investing in sustainability-driven innovation. 

My current (2008 - ) research programs focus on business entrepreneurship based on CleanTech innovations.  Specifically, I am interested in value creating paradigms for startup companies and corporations, including innovations in finance and business models.  A particularly exciting opportunity is the emerging adoption of corporate water footprints, and the integration of sustainability finance in corporate investment decision-making.

I currently (2009-2010) serve as President of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), and am a member of the Science Advisory Boards of the NSF Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) and the Dalian Center for Environmental Engineering and Technology (Dalian, China).  I further serve on science advisory panels of a number of Environmental Technology Development companies.