Reto Giere’s previous work focused on the fate of bio-transformed products such as metabolized pharmaceuticals in wastewater during UV treatment. He studied how these pharmaceuticals especially painkillers and sugars are transformed in water and their effect on public health. His current area of research interest involves analyzing the release of microplastic particles due to abrasion of vehicle tires on the road and leaching off of these particles into the water after a storm event. Understanding the levels of microplastics at different locations in a water body is essential as these particles can readily colonize into microalgae and hence enter the human food chain via fish consumption. Reto is also interested in understanding the heat recovery from wastewater processes.