Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2019
  • M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2015
  • B.A., Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, University of California, Berkeley, 2011
Licenses & Certifications
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER)
Professional Honors
  • Northwestern University Terminal Year Fellowship, 2018 – 2019
  • Royal E. Cabell Fellowship, 2014 – 2015
  • University of California, Berkeley Undergraduate High Honor Roll, 2007 – 2011
  • American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award for team project “PlantLAB”, 2011

Dr. Petrovich has a background in environmental engineering with an emphasis on environmental microbiology, wastewater treatment bioprocesses, microbial ecology, environmental biotechnology, drinking water treatment processes, public and environmental health, and sustainability. She has extensive experience with shotgun metagenomics analysis of DNA sequences and qPCR.  

During her graduate studies, Dr. Petrovich worked on a variety of projects using molecular methods to study abundances and fate of genes that may be associated with negative human health impacts, or genetic contaminants, in wastewater treatment systems and their potential to disseminate into natural aquatic environments. Genetic contaminants can confer traits to bacteria such as antibiotic resistance, which is a major global public health threat. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics can render infections untreatable by clinically important pharmaceuticals. When antibiotic resistance genes are released into the environment, they can have the potential to spread to bacterial communities in natural water bodies.

Dr. Petrovich characterized viral taxa in municipal and hospital wastewater, as viruses can significantly shape bacterial communities by killing bacteria and influencing species composition, as well as by transferring genetic material between bacteria. She analyzed associations between viruses, their predicted bacterial hosts, and bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance genes in hospital wastewater, and assessed the potential for viruses to contribute to transfer of antibiotic resistance determinants between bacteria in wastewater treatment systems.

Dr. Petrovich has a background in environmental engineering with an emphasis on environmental microbiology, wastewater treatment bioprocesses, microbial ecology, environmental biotechnology, drinking water treatment processes, public and environmental health, and sustainability.

She has extensive experience with shotgun metagenomics analysis of DNA sequences and qPCR. During her graduate studies, she worked on a variety of projects using molecular methods to study abundances and fate of genes that may be associated with negative human health impacts, or genetic contaminants, in wastewater treatment systems and their potential to disseminate into natural aquatic environments. Genetic contaminants can confer traits to bacteria such as antibiotic resistance, which is a major global public health threat. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics can render infections untreatable by clinically important pharmaceuticals. When antibiotic resistance genes are released into the environment, they can have the potential to spread to bacterial communities in natural water bodies. Dr. Petrovich characterized viral taxa in municipal and hospital wastewater, as viruses can significantly shape bacterial communities by killing bacteria and influencing species composition, as well as by transferring genetic material between bacteria. She analyzed associations between viruses, their predicted bacterial hosts, and bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance genes in hospital wastewater, and assessed the potential for viruses to contribute to transfer of antibiotic resistance determinants between bacteria in wastewater treatment systems.

Additionally, Dr. Petrovich quantified structural parameters of wastewater treatment biofilms based on 3D microscopy and image analysis and assessed spatial stratification of genes in biofilms. The spatial organization of genes associated with resistance to antibiotics is important in the context of engineered bioprocesses that utilize biofilms, such as trickling filters for wastewater treatment, since upper portions of biofilms are more likely than deeper regions of biofilms to detach and move downstream, where they may eventually be discharged into the environment.

Dr. Petrovich has collaborated with public utilities to analyze microbial ecology in full-scale enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems and to investigate relationships between community composition and reactor performance. Quantifying functionally important bacterial taxa using molecular methods allows utilities to monitor changes in relative abundance of species involved with nutrient cycling over time in these engineered systems.

Further, Dr. Petrovich has a background in environmental planning and landscape architecture with project experience related to ecological and landscape design. She has planned green infrastructure improvements in dense urban areas to improve air quality and reduce public health impacts from diesel emissions. She has also drafted plans for living walls and green roof systems and has worked on the design and construction of composting toilets.