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Biography
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering | Montana State University
Ellen Lauchnor is a nationally recognized environmental engineer whose research and teaching focus on sustainable water treatment solutions. En route to earning her 2011 Ph.D. graduate from Oregon State University, she investigated the resilience and inhibition of bacteria that contributed to wastewater treatment.
Lauchnor is now an Associate Professor at Montana State University, where her work has centered on microbial and biofilm-driven processes for water quality improvement, such as for improved wastewater treatment and bioremediation of heavy metals in groundwater.
Her current research focuses on understanding microbial processes in engineered treatment wetlands, which are efficient, nature-based and low-cost wastewater treatment systems for decentralized locations. Her team’s research has influenced policy and practice across Montana, with support from the Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Bozeman.
Lauchnor’s outreach efforts include collaborations with tribal colleges and community-based environmental programs. She received MSU’s Excellence in Outreach Award in 2020 and has helped develop a new B.S. program in environmental engineering.
“Attending Oregon State was a springboard to my professional career and my future research,” Lauchnor said upon reflecting on her time at the university. “It broadened my perspective on the diversity of research within my discipline and significantly expanded my professional network.”