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Conference Presentations
 

  1. Philo, S.E., M.A. Saldana, J. Delgado Vela, L.B. Stadler, A.L. Smith, 2026. Microbial Host Range and Genetic Context of Critical Antibiotic Resistance Genes Using Hi-C Sequencing. Microbes in Wastewater, January 15-16, Newport Beach, CA, USA.

  2. Saldana, M.A., Philo, S.E., Wee, S.Y., Geng, J., Ghanem-Uzqueda, A., Van Orman, S., and A.L. Smith, 2026. Using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology to Detect and Monitor Sexually Transmitted Infections: Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. Microbes in Wastewater, January 15-16, Newport Beach, CA

  3. Philo SE, Saldana, M.A., Zhou S, Stadler LB, Delgado Vela J, and Smith AL. Assessing Colistin Resistance Host Range Across Three Geographically Distinct Water Reclamation Facilities. 22nd Health Related Water Microbiology Conference. June 15-20, 2025. Amersfoort, Netherlands.

  4. Saldana, M.A., Philo, S.E., Shu Ying Wee, and A.L. Smith, 2025. Determining the antibiotic resistance profile of the sexually transmitted infection Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Los Angeles County using wastewater-based epidemiology. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, May 20-22, Durham, NC

  5. Saldana, M.A., Philo, S.E., and A.L. Smith, 2025. Determining sexually transmitted infection Neisseria gonorrhoeae's antibiotic resistance profile in Los Angeles County using wastewater-based epidemiology. Microbes in Wastewater, January 16-17, Newport Beach, CA

  6. Saldana, M.A., Philo, S.E., and A.L. Smith, 2024. Wastewater genomic surveillance of sexually transmitted infections and their antibiotic resistance in Los Angeles County. 7th Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance conference, May 26-31, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

  7. Golwala, H., Saldana, M.A., and A.L. Smith, 2024. Role of microplastics in the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes during an anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of low-strength wastewater. 1st International Conference on Advances in Environmental sustainability, energy, and earth science, March 14-16, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India. (online presentation)

  8. Golwala, H., Saldana, M.A., A.L. Smith, 2024. Fate of mobilized colistin resistance genes with increasing concentration of last resort antibiotic in anaerobic membrane bioreactors. Microbes in Wastewater: Molecular Approaches in Pathogen & AMR Surveillance, January 18-19, Laguna Beach, California.

  9. Saldana, M.A., Geng, J., Shen, L., Ghanem-Uzqueda, A., Van Orman, S., Sun, D., Willes, D. A.L. Smith, 2024. Amplitude Multiplexed Wastewater Surveillance for Campus Health: Tracking SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Norovirus. Microbes in Wastewater: Molecular Approaches in Pathogen & AMR Surveillance, January 18-19, Laguna Beach, California.

  10. Saldana, M.A., Geng, J., Shen, L., Ghanem-Uzqueda, A., Van Orman, S., Sun, D., Willes, D. A.L. Smith, 2023. Multiplexed Wastewater Surveillance for Campus Health: Tracking SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Norovirus. 2 nd SoCal CEE Research Symposium, October 19-20, Los Angeles, California

Michael Saldana, Ph.D.​

 

Hometown

Visalia, CA

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Education

Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 2026

M.E. Civil Engineering, Loyola Marymount University, 2022

B.S. Biological Sciences, Arizona State University, 2019

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Current Research

Wastewater based epidemiology and its predictive capabilities for communities 

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Publications

  1. Philo, S.E.*, Saldana, M.A., Golwala, H., Zhou, S., Stadler, L.B., Delgado-Vela, J., and Smith, A.L. Assessing resistome host range across water reclamation in three geographically distinct communities using Hi-C sequencing. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00701-26

  2. Althouse, R.C., Golwala, H., Saldana, M.A., Cira, M., Saway, C., Ying S.Y., Guo, B., Philo S.E., and A.L. Smith. 2026. Perspectives on next-generation secondary wastewater treatment for potable reuse applications. Water Reuse. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wrd.2026.134

  3. Munteanu, V.* and Saldana, M.A.*, Sharma, N.K., Ouyang, W.O., Aßmann, E., Gordeev, V., Kasianchuk, N., Tierney, B.T., Lucaci, A.G., Knyazev, S., Ciorba, D., Bostan, V., Mason, C., Skums, P., Wu, N.C., Rzymski, P., Hölzer, M., Zelikovsky, A., A.L. Smith, and S. Mangul, 2026. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater genomic surveillance: approaches, challenges, and opportunities. Genome Biology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-025-03927-6
    *These authors contributed equally to this work

  4. Saldana, M.A., Philo, S.E., Wee, S.Y., Geng, J., Ghanem-Uzqueda, A., Van Orman, S., and A.L. Smith, 2025. Using wastewater-based epidemiology to detect and monitor sexually transmitted infections: chlamydia and gonorrhea. ACS ES&T Water. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c01071.

  5. Golwala, H., Saldana, M.A., and A.L. Smith, 2025. Fate of mobilized colistin resistance genes with increasing concentration of last resort antibiotic in anaerobic membrane bioreactors. ACS ES&T Engineering. DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.5c00243

  6. Conforti, S., Pruden, A., Acosta, N., Anderson, C., Buergmann, H., De Araujo, J.C., Cristobal, J.R., Drigo, B., Ellison, C., Francis, Z., Frigon, D., Gaenzle, M., Vierheilig, J., Julian, T.R., Klümper, U., Ma, L., Mangat, C., Nadimpalli, M., Nakashita, M., Osena, G., Rathinavelu, S., Reid-Smith, R., Saldana, M.A., Schmitt, H., Li, S., Singer, A.C., Tran, T.T., Yanac, K., Ybazeta, G., Harnisz, M., 2025. Strengthening policy relevance of wastewater-based surveillance for antimicrobial resistance. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c09663

  7. Golwala, H., Saldana, M.A., Talwalkar, A., Philo, S.E., and A.L. Smith, 2024. Microplastics may not proliferate antibiotic resistance during mainstream anaerobic treatment. ACS ES&T Engineering. DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c00361

  8. Saldana, M.A., Geng, J., Shen, L., Ghanem-Uzqueda, A., Van Orman, S., Sun, D., Willes, D., A.L. Smith, 2024. Amplitude multiplexed wastewater surveillance for campus health: Tracking SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Norovirus. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology. DOI: 10.1039/D4EW00096J

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Fun Fact 

Michael can hit the netting at Top Golf! (whether he means the left, right, or back netting is up to your imagination)

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920 Downey Way. BHE 221
Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Southern California
213.740.0473
smithada@usc.edu
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