Natalie Cápiro

Assistant Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering

About

Dr. Natalie Cápiro is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and a graduate field faculty member in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and held an adjunct appointment in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Auburn University. Prior to Auburn, Dr. Cápiro was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University. Her educational background includes postdoctoral work at the Georgia Institute of Technology, M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, and B.S. in Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Cápiro’s research interests include applied environmental microbiology, bioremediation, fate and transport of legacy and emerging contaminants in natural systems, development of groundwater remediation strategies, and nanoparticle-microbial interactions in the environment. Her work is primarily supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), including a study that won the 2012 SERDP Environmental Restoration Project of the Year.

Recent Research

Research in the Cápiro lab focuses on the biotransformation of emerging (e.g., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances-PFAS) and legacy (e.g., chlorinated solvents) organic contaminants in the environment. We are particularly interested in resolving degradation pathways, microbial community dynamics, and the interactions between biotic and abiotic processes that impact the fate and transport of these contaminants. Ongoing or recently completed investigations examine: (i) environmental factors influencing the natural attenuation of emerging contaminants; (ii) secondary impacts of in-situ bioremediation (e.g., iron mineral species and low pH) on groundwater quality; (iii) benefits and shortcomings of combining biological and physical-chemical processes (e.g., thermal treatment, reactive or adsorptive nanoparticles) to achieve improved contaminant treatment (detoxification or sequestration); and (iv) assessment of natural attenuation potential and development of predictive tools for remediation system design. These studies lay the foundation for tackling a large variety of water quality issues and have implications for protecting human health and the environment. To expand the impact of the acquired knowledge beyond the traditional academic framework, we are working to make these (and other) results accessible to practitioners and impacted communities.

Awards & Honors

Selected Awards and Honors:
Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Distinguished Service Award 2023
SERDP Environmental Restoration Project of the Year 2012
Eleanor and Mills Bennett Fellowship in Hydrology, Rice Univ. 2003-2005
NSF Distinguished Sci. & Engr. Fellow of the Alliances for Grad. Ed. and Prof (AGEP) 2000-2003

Courses Taught

Dr. Cápiro has taught several environmental engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate student level. A significant motivation behind her classroom instruction has been based on student interest. Namely, bringing the latest research and examples of field applications into the classroom. Her most recent course offerings at Cornell include:

BEE/ENGRD 2510 Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability
A new course offering on bioremediation will start Spring 2025.

Contact Information

natalie.capiro [at] cornell.edu

- Cápiro Google Scholar

Natalie in the news

A blue gloves hand holding a beaker of chemicals.

News

June 10, 2024

Potential microbes and genes that impact forever chemicals identified

A study identifies microbes that potentially play important roles in breaking down harmful PFAS chemicals and points to functional genes that may be involved.

Biological and Environmental Engineering
Planet
Microbiology

(L-R), Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson, Natalie Cápiro ’00, Hale Ann Tufan, Chuan Liao, Shaila Musharoff, Michael Charles ’16.

Spotlight

December 7, 2022

CALS hires faculty cohort to address grand DEI challenges

This is the fifth in a series of stories detailing actions CALS students, faculty and staff have taken over the past several years to make our community a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place for everyone. In fall 2021, CALS announced its first-ever faculty cohort initiative focused on hiring a group of scientists whose work explicitly addresses systemic challenges facing marginalized communities through transdisciplinary collaboration. The first search was received with great enthusiasm and 381 people applied for the six positions.

American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program
Biological and Environmental Engineering
Computational Biology