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I am an environmental microbiologist and water engineer with extensive experience spanning both academia and industry. My research focuses on microbial ecology, industrial microbiology, and bioprocessing for sustainable water and waste management. By integrating microbial genetics, bioengineering, and environmental management, I develop innovative solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and optimise resource recovery from wastewater and organic waste streams. For instance, in microbial ecology, I investigate acid-tolerant microbial communities involved in methane (CH4) and nitrogen (N) cycling in engineered and natural environments (e.g., DP230101340). My industry collaborations have enabled field-scale validation of microbial processes for wastewater treatment and bioresource recovery (e.g., IE230100245, LP220200963, LP230201054).

At present, I have established an internationally recognised research profile in environmental biotechnology and urban water engineering, with a strong focus on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater systems. My research impact stems from a multidisciplinary combination of environmental microbiology, process engineering, and industry-led innovation. Since transitioning into academia in 2019 following 2.5 years in industry, I have demonstrated a steep upward trajectory in research leadership, productivity, and impact. I am currently a Scientia Associate Professor at ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ Sydney, leading the Green Environmental Technologies for Sustainability (GetSustain) research group. 

Since 2019, I have secured over $10 million in competitive research funding as Lead CI or CI, including 1 ARC Discovery Project, 3 ARC Linkage Projects, 2 industry research fellowships, 1 CRC-P, and substantial in-kind support from major Australian water utilities. My projects directly address key national and global challenges in CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) mitigation, nutrient recovery, and circular wastewater management. I maintain strategic collaborations with several of Australia’s largest water utilities, as well as international industry partners. These strong collaborations ensure my research is grounded in real-world applications with direct implementation pathways.

I have supervised 25 PhDs (13 as Principal Advisor), 4 postdocs and 6 visiting fellows. 8 PhDs have graduated successfully. A number of prestigious awards have been received by my students/fellows, including ARC DECRA, Advance Queensland Fellow, Australian Water Association (AWA) National Student Prize, and UQ Dean’s Award.

I have authored >160 articles in Q1 (or top-25%) journals, averaging >20 journal publications per year. In >50%, I am the 1st or corresponding author. These publications have garnered over 5,000 citations (averaging more than 30 citations per paper) with an H-index of 40 (Google Scholar, July 2025). Of the total ~160 journal publications, 60+ papers were published in Nature Publishing Group journals (Nature Sustainability, Nature Water, Nature Communications) and top discipline-specific journals (ISME Journal, Environ Sci & Technol, and Water Research). A number of these papers have been Clarivate Highly Cited papers, meaning they rank in the top 1% by citations in the Environment & Ecology field.

My research generates industry-relevant outputs, including three filed Australian patents: Method of Upgrading Biogas (no. 2025903941), Gas Treatment Process (no. 2022902104), and Method for Treating Wastewater or Sludge (no. 2019901771). I have co-founded a spinout company for the commercialisation.