Beth Ahner

Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering

Senior Associate Dean, Office of the Senior Associate Deans

Beth Ahner is a Professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and is currently serving as a Senior Associate Dean in CALS. Her professional objectives have been to explore basic science in pursuit of better engineering solutions. In particular, she seeks to understand how organisms adapt to trace metal stress in the environment and in turn, how they influence the form of metals in the environment. Discoveries in this area lead to better strategies to remediate metal contamination in the environment and to a better understanding of natural ecosystems.

Education

Doctorate
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1994
Bachelor of Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1989

Recent Research

Professor Ahner’s research in environmental biotechnology explores how plants solubilize, take up, detoxify, and sequester metals. Her lab group focuses on questions involving intracellular detoxification mechanisms and how biological processes affect the biogeochemical cycling of metals in both the natural environment and in engineered systems. One application of this research is phytoremediation, the use of plants to remove metals from contaminated soils.

Courses Taught

Professor Ahner teaches students to recognize the complexity of environmental problems and to implement efficient and environmentally sound solutions to them. At the undergraduate level, she focuses on introductory modeling, and at the graduate level, she focuses on current research in bioremediation. Her recent courses include BEE 2510 Engineering for a Sustainable Society.

Contact Information

220 Riley-Robb Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

(607) 255-4677

baa7 [at] cornell.edu

- Office of the Senior Associate Deans
- Ahner Lab

Beth in the news

News

January 20, 2021

Microbiology Chair Esther Angert joins CALS senior leadership team

“CALS is in a unique position to help the world navigate global challenges, leveraging our commitment to purpose-driven science and impact for the 21st century, the solutions century,” Houlton said. “We are delighted to have Esther Angert join...

Biological and Environmental Engineering
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Fish

An asian male standing in a room containing pens of chickens with male and female lab workers behind him

News

November 7, 2019

Cornell partners in $10M poultry science grant

The grant, awarded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture on Sept. 1 and co-led by the University of Arkansas, is among the largest grants ever awarded by the USDA, and dovetails with Cornell’s land-grant missions of research...

Animal Science
Animals
Environment