Abeer Sohrab

Abeer Sohrab is a doctoral candidate in Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah. Her research explores the genomic and ecological factors behind harmful algal blooms (HABs). She focuses on benthic cyanobacterial mats dominated by Microcoleus in nutrient-limited freshwater systems. Using combined metagenomic and metatranscriptomic methods, she looks at how gene expression related to nutrient cycling and toxin production affects the survival and ecological success of both toxic and non-toxic Microcoleus strains. Her work, which focuses on river environments such as the Virgin River in Zion National Park, aims to enhance understanding of how benthic blooms form and help develop predictive models for harmful algal bloom (HAB) dynamics. Her other work includes studying surrogate pathogens in wastewater, specifically bacteriophages.