Nicole C Rockey

Research Themes

Environmental Health Engineering

Research Interests

Environmental persistence of endemic and emerging pathogens, mechanisms of virus inactivation, environmental virology, development and identification of engineering controls to reduce infectious disease burden, detection of microbes in air, water, and on surfaces

Bio

Dr. Nicole C. Rockey’s research aims to reduce infectious disease burden by better understanding the persistence of viral pathogens in the built environment. She uses both laboratory and modeling approaches to establish transmission risks and identify engineering interventions that will aid in developing robust, sustainable responses to microbial threats. Dr. Rockey joined the Duke Faculty in August 2023 after completing a postdoctoral position at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. She received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan in AArbor.

Education

• B.S. University of Texas, Austin, 2013
• M.S. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2016
• Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2021

Positions

• Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Courses Taught

• CEE 661L: Environmental Molecular Biotechnology (GE, MC)
• CEE 566: Environmental Microbiology
• BME 565L: Environmental Molecular Biotechnology (GE, MC)

Publications

• Rockey NC, Le Sage V, Shephard M, Vargas-Maldonado N, Vu MN, Brown CA, et al. Ventilation does not affect close-range transmission of influenza virus in a ferret playpen setup. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2024 Aug;121(33):e2322660121.
• Chaplin M, Leung K, Szczuka A, Hansen B, Rockey NC, Henderson JB, et al. Linear Mixed Model of Virus Disinfection by Free Chlorine to Harmonize Data Collected across Broad Environmental Conditions. Environmental science & technology. 2024 Jul;58(27):12260–71.
• Le Sage V, Rockey NC, French AJ, McBride R, McCarthy KR, Rigatti LH, et al. Potential pandemic risk of circulating swine H1N2 influenza viruses. Nature communications. 2024 Jun;15(1):5025.
• Longest AK, Rockey NC, Lakdawala SS, Marr LC. Review of factors affecting virus inactivation in aerosols and droplets. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface. 2024 Jun;21(215):18.
• Rockey NC, Le Sage V, Marr LC, Lakdawala SS. Seasonal influenza viruses decay more rapidly at intermediate humidity in droplets containing saliva compared to respiratory mucus. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2024 Feb;90(2):e0201023.
• Sage VL, Rockey NC, McCarthy KR, French AJ, Shephard MJ, McBride R, et al. Potential pandemic risk of circulating swine H1N2 influenza viruses. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. 2024.
• French AJ, Rockey NC, Le Sage V, Mueller Brown K, Shephard MJ, Frizzell S, et al. Detection of influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae in air sampled from co-infected ferrets and analysis of their influence on pathogen stability. mSphere. 2023 Aug;8(4):e0003923.
• Rockey N, Sage VL, Shephard M, Vargas-Maldonado N, French A, Walter S, et al. Ventilation does not affect influenza virus transmission efficiency in a ferret playpen setup. bioRxiv. 2023.
• Chaplin M, Henderson J, Leung K, Szczuka A, Hansen B, Rockey N, et al. Linear Mixed Model of Virus Disinfection by Chlorine to Harmonize Data Collected Across Broad Environmental Conditions. bioRxiv. 2023.
• Rockey N, Le Sage V, Marr L, Lakdawala S. Seasonal influenza viruses decay more rapidly at intermediate humidity in droplets containing saliva compared to respiratory mucus. bioRxiv. 2023.
• Rockey NC, Henderson JB, Chin K, Raskin L, Wigginton KR. Predictive Modeling of Virus Inactivation by UV. Environmental science & technology. 2021 Mar;55(5):3322–32.
• Wigginton KR, Arts PJ, Clack HL, Fitzsimmons WJ, Gamba M, Harrison KR, et al. Validation of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator Decontamination Methods Available at a Large University Hospital. Open forum infectious diseases. 2021 Feb;8(2):ofaa610.
• Rockey NC, Shen Y, Haig S-J, Wax M, Yonts J, Wigginton KR, et al. Impact of service line replacement on lead, cadmium, and other drinking water quality parameters in Flint, Michigan. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. 2021;7(4):797–808.
• Rockey N, Arts PJ, Li L, Harrison KR, Langenfeld K, Fitzsimmons WJ, et al. Humidity and Deposition Solution Play a Critical Role in Virus Inactivation by Heat Treatment of N95 Respirators. mSphere. 2020 Oct;5(5):e00588–e00520.
• Rockey N, Young S, Kohn T, Pecson B, Wobus CE, Raskin L, et al. UV Disinfection of Human Norovirus: Evaluating Infectivity Using a Genome-Wide PCR-Based Approach. Environmental science & technology. 2020 Mar;54(5):2851–8.
• Rockey N, Bischel HN, Kohn T, Pecson B, Wigginton KR. The utility of flow cytometry for potable reuse. Current opinion in biotechnology. 2019 Jun;57:42–9.
• Kotlarz N, Rockey N, Olson TM, Haig S-J, Sanford L, LiPuma JJ, et al. Biofilms in Full-Scale Drinking Water Ozone Contactors Contribute Viable Bacteria to Ozonated Water. Environmental science & technology. 2018 Mar;52(5):2618–28.