Pitt’s Sarah Haig recognized with 40 Under 40 in Environmental Engineering
Sarah Haig, PhD, whose research at the University of Pittsburgh has helped to expand knowledge of the water microbiome, has been recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists as one of its 2025 40 Under 40 recipients. Haig, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, will be honored at the 2025 Academy Convocation and Celebration of Excellence (previously known as The AAEES Awards) on April 10, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Dr. Haig’s research group studies microbial exposures in the built environment. Operating at the intersection of engineering, environmental microbiology, environmental chemistry, and public health her group assesses and mitigates health risks associated with pathogens transmitted within the built environment, with a specific focus on drinking water systems. Since 2018, her interdisciplinary program—funded by agencies like HUD, EPA, NSF (including a 2024 CAREER award) have tackled issues in building plumbing, water treatment, indoor air quality, and microbial risk assessment.
Using a combination of traditional microbiological techniques, modern molecular methods, and multivariate statistical analyses, her team advances knowledge, develops solutions, and informs strategies to improve indoor environments to safeguard public health.
“Since joining the Swanson School in 2018, Sarah has grown tremendously as an educator and researcher and has truly established her bona fides in the area of drinking water systems,” noted Radisav Vidic, PhD, PE, Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Pitt. “She is well deserving of this honor at the start of her very promising career.”
Dr. Haig has published several papers in leading journals in the fields of environmental engineering and microbiology and has given numerous presentations at national and international conferences. She has received continuous honors and awards for her research including a Lord Kelvin Adam Smith PhD scholarship, a Microbiology of the Built Environment fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a Dow Sustainability fellowship.
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The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) provides leadership and excellence in environmental engineering and environmental science to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of society and the sustainability of the natural and built environments. AAEES has a special role in the stewardship of the environment since it is the organization responsible for environmental engineering and environmental science board certification and the lead society overseeing ABET accreditation for Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering Technology, Environmental Science, and similarly named programs.