Sonia M. Tiquia-Arashiro, PhD
Teaching Areas:
Biological Sciences, Master of Science in Environmental Science, MicrobiologyResearch Areas:
Impact of Urbanization on Environmental Health, Microbiology, Urban RiversBiography and Education
Dr. Sonia M. Tiquia-Arashiro is a Professor of Microbiology in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-Dearborn). She joined the University in 2003 and has nearly three decades of professional experience in environmental microbiology.
Dr. Tiquia-Arashiro completed her graduate studies at the University of Hong Kong, where she received her Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology in 1997. From 1998 to 2003, she pursued postdoctoral and research training in the laboratories of Dr. Thomas Richard at Iowa State University, Dr. Frederick Michel Jr. at The Ohio State University, and Dr. Jizhong Zhou at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Her research has spanned environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, biotechnology, bioremediation, waste microbiology, and aquatic and terrestrial microbial systems. Her current scholarship is centered on urban watershed microbiology and environmental health, with particular emphasis on how urbanization, pollution, and other anthropogenic pressures influence microbial communities, water quality, antimicrobial resistance, and ecosystem health.
Dr. Tiquia-Arashiro is the Principal Investigator of the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Urban Watershed Science at UM-Dearborn. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has authored or edited seven books, including the two-volume Urban Watershed Microbiology (Volume 1 and Volume 2).
Dr. Tiquia-Arashiro is also active in professional leadership and service. She previously served as President of the Michigan Branch of the American Society for Microbiology and currently serves as its Councilor. She also serves on the ASM Branch Advisory Council, the ASM Branch Organization Subcommittee, and the BIO REU Leadership Council. In addition, she is an Associate Editor of Environmental Technology and Frontiers in Microbiology.
Education
Ph.D., Environmental Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, 1997
Teaching and Research
Courses Taught
- BIOL 140: Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
- BIOL/MICR 385: Microbiology
- BIOL 380: Epidemiology
- BIOL/MICR 405/505: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
- BIOL/MICR 406: Microbial Genetics
- BIOL/MICR 485: Physiology of Microorganisms
- BIOL/MICR 440: Microbial Genetics and Physiology Laboratory
Research
Dr. Tiquia-Arashiro's research focuses on environmental microbiology, urban watershed microbiology and health, microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance, water pollution, and contaminant bioremediation. Her laboratory examines how urbanization, pollution, and other anthropogenic pressures shape microbial communities, water quality, antimicrobial resistance, and ecosystem health in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Current research includes the distribution and environmental drivers of antibiotic resistance genes and microbial water-quality markers in urban watersheds; microbial responses to metals and other contaminants; microbe-metal interactions, biosorption, and bioremediation; the ecology and physiology of environmentally derived yeasts and fungi; microbial responses to pH, salinity, temperature, and oxidative stress; microbial interactions with microplastics; and molecular approaches for environmental monitoring.
Much of this work is centered on the Rouge River watershed in metropolitan Detroit and integrates environmental microbiology, molecular biology, microbial physiology, environmental chemistry, and watershed science to better understand and protect the ecological and microbiological health of urban freshwater systems.
Selected Publications
Tiquia-Arashiro, S.M. and Pant, D. (2020) Microbial Electrochemical Technologies. CRC Press. 508 p.
Tiquia-Arashiro, S.M. and Grube, M. (2019) Fungi in Extreme Environments: Ecological Role and Biotechnological Significance. Springer International Publishing. 626 p.
Tiquia-Arashiro S.M. (2018) Lead absorption mechanisms in bacteria as strategies for lead bioremediation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 102:5437–5444.
Oest A, Fenner M, Azzopardi D, Alsaffar A and Tiquia-Arashiro SM (2018) Patterns of Change in Metabolic Capabilities of Sediment Microbial Communities along River and Lake Ecosystems. Journal of International Microbiology. 2018:6234931. doi: 10.1155/2018/6234931.
Bowman N, Patel P, Sanchez S, Xu W, Alsaffar, A and Tiquia-Arashiro SM (2018) Lead-Resistant Bacteria from Saint Clair River Sediments and Pb Removal in Aqueous Solutions. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 102: 2391–2398.
Awards and Recognition
Stanford’s list of World’s top 2% of working scientists, 2023
Stanford’s list of World’s top 2% of working scientists, 2022
Stanford’s World’s top 2% of working scientists [Career-long citation impact], 2020
Stanford’s World’s top 2% of working scientists [Citation impact during the single calendar year], 2020
UM-Dearborn Distinguished Research Award, 2010
Promotion to Associate Professor by exception to time in rank criterion, 2008