Our people

Our researchers are amongst the top in the world when it comes to discovering and unlocking novel methods for wastewater capture, management and treatment. Eight of our core members are Clarivate Highly Cited researchers. Each year, CTWW published over 200 research articles in peer reviewed journals.

CTWW director Long Nghiem looking at the camera

Prof Long Nghiem, Director

Prof Long Nghiem is the Director of the Centre for Technology in Water & Wastewater (CTWW) at UTS. His current research work centres around the Water – Energy nexus and has been successfully utilised by the water industry in Australia and around the world. Prof Nghiem currently serves as an Editor-in-chief of Environmental Technology & Innovation and Editor of Journal of Membrane Science.

Shoulder up image of Hokyong Shon looking at the camera

Professor Ho Kyong Shon, Deputy Director

Professor Ho Kyong Shon is the Director of the ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (ARC NiCE Hub) and Deputy director of the Center for Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment (CTWW). His research interests include a circular economy, membrane technologies, water treatment processes for water reuse and desalination, resource recovery and environmental nanomaterials, physico-chemical processes and environmental applications. Prof. Shon is externally engaged as an ARC College of Experts Member and Editor-in-Chief of the Desalination journal.​  

Chest up photo of Huu Hao Ngo with two fingers in the air either side of his face smiling at the camera

Distinguished Professor Huu Hao Ngo (Hao), Deputy Director

Distinguished Professor Huu Hao Ngo (Hao) is an award winning and world-leading researcher in environmental engineering who has a special interest in wastewater treatment and reuse, and environmental biotechnology for sustainable development. Hao is a Clarivate Highly Cited researcher in 2 categories: Environment & Ecology and Biology & Biochemistry. He is an editor of several prestigious journals in his research field including Bioresource Technology and Chemical Engineering Journal.

Shoulder up photo of Wenshan Guo smiling at the camera

Professor Wenshan Guo, Member

Professor Wenshan Guo is a world-renowned expert in innovative wastewater treatment technologies and sustainable water management and a Clarivate highly-cited researcher in the fields of (i) Environment & Ecology and (ii) Biology & Biochemistry. She is a recipient of the 2022 Australia and New Zealand Scopus Excellence in Women in Research Award.

 

chest up photo of Bing Jie looking at the camera

Professor Bing-Jie (Bruce) Ni, Member

Professor Bing-Jie (Bruce) Ni is a pioneering researcher with expertise in modeling and control of potent greenhouse gases (e.g., nitrous oxides and methane) emissions from wastewater management systems. He has received several competitive research grants from the ARC including an ARC Future Fellowship and is currently a Clarivate highly-cited researcher.

Chest up photo of Qilin Wang looking at the camera

Prof Qilin Wang, Member

Prof Qilin Wang has developed a several award-winning technologies to maximize energy recovery from wastewater/waste and achieve carbon-neutral wastewater treatment. Qilin has received many prestigious awards, prizes, and fellowships including the 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prize, a finalist of the 2022 Australian Prime Minister's Research Award, ARC DECRA Fellowship, ARC Future Fellowship, and Humboldt Research Fellowship.

 

Chest up photo of Gayathri Danasamy Naidu smiling at the camera

Dr Gayathri Danasamy Naidu, Member

Dr Gayathri Danasamy Naidu is an ARC DECRA Fellow. Her core research interest is to explore the three Rs in seawater and wastewater – that is remediation, reuse and recovery.

Chest up photo of Qiang Fu looking at the camera

Dr Qiang Fu, Member

Dr Qiang Fu has made significant contribution to his research field of membrane nanotechnology and polymer materials for energy efficient and low carbon water treatment. He was the recipient of an ARC Super Science Fellowship (2011-2014) and an ARC Future Fellowship (2018-2022).

Waist up photo of Arridina Stilitonga wearing a blue headscarf while looking at the camera

Prof. Arridina Susan Silitonga, Member

Prof. Arridina Susan Silitonga is an internationally recognised top researcher in bioenergy and alternative fuels from biomass, especially microalgae. She is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Engineering.

 

 

Chest up photo of Leonard Tijing looking at the camera

Associate Professor Leonard Tijing, Member

Associate Professor Leonard Tijing is a recognized researcher in the field of membrane separation and material development (h-index=47; cited > 7,600 times). Several of his papers are highly cited and he has consistently published in top-tier journals in his field.

 

Chest up photo of Sherub Phuntsho looking at the camera

Dr Sherub Phuntsho, Member

Dr Sherub Phuntsho is an international expert in physico-chemical processes for water/wastewater treatment including membrane processes, membrane synthesis and desalination, and sanitation in developing countries. He has had over 160 academic publications.
 

Chest up photo of Indra Mahlia looking at the camera

Professor T M Indra Mahlia, Member

Professor T M Indra Mahlia is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Engineering. His expertise covers a range of research areas in the Water-Energy Nexus including bioenergy, microalgae-based fuels, techno-economic analysis, and circular economy.

 

Chest up photo of John Zhou smiling softly at the camera

Distinguished Professor John Zhou, Member

Distinguished Professor John Zhou’s research expertise covers environmental sampling, trace analysis, remote sensing of vehicle emissions, advanced wastewater treatment using chemical oxidation, reduction by nano zero-valent iron, adsorption, biodegradation and photocatalysis, and energy recovery from waste. Prof Zhou is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in cross field.

Chest up photo of Mofijur Rahman wearing a kufi looking at the camera

Dr Md Mofijur Rahman, Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr Md Mofijur Rahman is a postdoctoral fellow with international research expertise in biofuel conversion and characterisation, experimental and associated diagnostic techniques for evaluating environmental impacts of biofuel production and utilization. Since 2022, Dr Rahman has been recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher in cross field.

Neck up image of Abu Hasan Johir looking at the camera

Dr Md Abu Hasan Johir, Senior Technical Officer

Dr Md Abu Hasan Johir is a lecturer and senior technical officer of CTWW. His core research mission is to undertake transformative and translational research in water resource management and water and wastewater treatment with a strong focus on treatment, recovery and reuse.

Chest up image of Tien Vinh Nguyen looking at the camera

Dr Tien-Vinh Nguyen, Member

Dr Tien-Vinh Nguyen is a senior lecturer and a core member of CTWW. His research interests include water and wastewater treatment and reused technologies, desalination and sludge dewatering. He has been involved in a number of research projects as an investigator (Google, DFAT, CRC Care, Sydney Water Corporation) to develop innovative water solutions for remote communities and developing countries.

Neck up image of Islam Rizwanul Fattah looking at the camera

Dr Islam Md Rizwanul Fattah, Postdoctoral Fellow

As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Islam Md Rizwanul Fattah’s research is to effectively recover energy from waste and wastewater for sustainable energy application. He is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in cross field.

 

Chest up image of Wei Wei with a jacked draped over her left shoulder looking at the camera

Dr Wei Wei, ARC DECRA Fellow

Dr Wei Wei has been working in the field of environmental biotechnology, wastewater/sludge treatment and environmental toxicology, particularly at the interface between process engineering, microbiology, ecotoxicology and mathematical modeling. She is currently an ARC DECRA Fellow.

Chest up image of Jaya Kandasamy looking at the camera

Associate Professor Jaya Kandasamy, Member

Associate Professor Jaya Kandasamy is a specialist in computational hydraulics and well known for the HEC-RAS courses presented around Australia and overseas over the last 25 years. He has considerable experience in a wide range of hydraulic models and has published in leading international journals.

Chest up image of Youngwoo Choo looking at the camera

Dr Youngwoo Choo, Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr Youngwoo Choo’s research interests are primarily on the recovery of rare earth elements from brine water. Dr Choo has expertise in rational design of polymer membranes, functional nanomaterials (e.g., metal-organic frameworks), and composites that are highly selective to the target metal ions.

Chest up image of Xuan Li smiling softly at the camera

Dr Xuan Li, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr Xuan Li has expertise in microbiology genomics for wastewater treatment. She has also successfully developed effective infectious disease surveillance systems through wastewater-based genomic epidemiology.

Chest up image of Saravanamuth Vigneswaran looking at the camera

Emeritus Distinguished Professor Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran, Member

Emeritus Distinguished Professor Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran is an award-winning researcher who has made a sustained and outstanding contribution to the water profession. He has been recognised by the International Water Association (IWA) as an IWA Distinguished Fellow (since 2021), for his long-term extraordinary contribution to the global water sector

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.