PAIR Distinguished Lecture: Prof. Alexandria BOEHM of Stanford University delivers “Influenza Transmission and Diversity in Humans and Animals Inferred from Untreated Wastewater across the United States”
PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series
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Date
29 Jun 2026
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
14:30 - 16:00
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Venue
Wofoo Foundation Lecture Theatre (FJ303), 3/F, Chan Tai Ho Building, PolyU (Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis) Map
Speaker
Prof. Alexandria BOEHM
Enquiry
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research info.pair@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Abstract
Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality globally, and is a virus with pandemic potential. We found that influenza RNA concentrations in wastewater solids scaled with infections in contribution communities at two locations, and we then scaled the measurements to over 150 wastewater treatment plants in 40 states in the US. Continuous, prospective measurements over several years provide fascinating insights into how influenza circulates, in relation to season and geography, as well as circulation of other respiratory viruses like RSV. We also established that wastewater can provide information on the influenza subtypes that are circulating, including avian influenza, based on detection of different sequences in influenza HA and NA genes. These data have proven critical to responding to the avian influenza outbreak in cattle in the US. Finally, I will show how we are able to assemble novel influenza genomes from wastewater to better understand how the virus is evolving. During this talk, I will share other interesting insights on infectious disease circulation obtained from the WastewaterSCAN project including measles and other emerging viruses.
Prof. Alexandria BOEHM
Member of National Academy of Engineering, USA
Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor of Environmental Studies
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Department Oceans
Stanford University
Alexandria Boehm is the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor in Environmental Studies in the Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Dept. of Oceans at Stanford University. She was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2024. She is the lead of WastewaterSCAN, a large research project focused on wastewater-based epidemiology across the United States. Her research focuses on pathogens in the environment, environmental transmission of infectious diseases, coastal water quality, and use of environmental DNA for macroorganism biomonitoring. She attended California Institute of Technology as an undergraduate and Univ California Irvine as a graduate student. She is on the editorial team at ES&T and ES&T Letters where she serves as an associate and executive editor. She serves as the associate chair of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Stanford. She has published ~300 peer reviewed papers in journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Communications, Lancet Microbe, and Environmental Science & Technology.
Personal Website: https://cee.stanford.edu/people/alexandria-boehm
