Kirin E. Furst, PhD

The main goals of my research are improving access to safe drinking water and mitigating harmful impacts of human activities on water quality. Current projects in my research group include evaluating the efficacy of low-cost disinfection technologies and developing new approaches to identify which contaminants in drinking water pose the greatest risk to human health. If we know which contaminants to prioritize for removal, we can develop smarter treatment and policy approaches to protect our waters. My research group is especially interested in the impacts of municipal and industrial wastewaters on drinking water and the environment, and ensuring the safety of wastewater reuse to supplement water supplies as climate change increases water scarcity.

My research group, the Water Systems Chemistry Lab, is located at the GMU Potomac Science Center. We offer expertise in the analysis of trace organic contaminants and a wide range of water quality parameters, as well as experience in modeling large water quality datasets.

• Byproduct formation during drinking water disinfection with chlorocyanurates
• Nutrient removal from storm sewer base flows
• Disinfection byproduct dynamics in distribution systems and implications for human exposure