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Faculty This site

Water and Sustainability

This category covers:

Emerging Contaminants
Environmental Modelling and Impact Assessment
Geomimetic Membranes and Ion Exchange
Membranes and Composite Catalysts
Photocatalysis
Rapid Detection Methods for Micro-organisms
Rivers and Lakes
Water Quality
Watershed

Name	Research Interests
Asst Prof Aravind Babu Dasari	Dr Dasari’s major research emphasis is on the development of in-depth understanding of the various facets of processing-structure-property relations in hybrid polymer nanocomposites to achieve synergistic properties for different end applications. These facets include: 1. Thermal stability and flame retardancy (with eco-benign agents) 2. Functional properties (electrical/thermal conductivities, biodegradability and UV shielding) 3. Electrospinning techniques 4. Wear/scratch damage at different scales (macro/micro/nano) 5. Deformation and Fracture mechanisms 6. Active food packaging
Asst Prof Bae Tae-Hyun	1. Chemistry of materials - nanoporous materials including zeolites, mesoporous materials and metal-organic frameworks - thin films and nanocomposite membranes 2. Environmental technology - CO2 capture - water treatment 3. Molecular separaitons in chemical processes - hydrocarbon separations - gas separations
Assoc Prof Cai Wenjian	Prof Cai's areas of expertise are system modelling, control and optimization, multivariable system identification and control, sensor and instrumentation, mechanical system simulation and design, and intelligent systems. His current research works focus on industry applications in building HVAC processes, renewable energy processes and environmental processes.
Asst Prof Cao Bin	Microbial biofilms in natural and engineered systems Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) Interactions of biofilms and EPS with environmental contaminants Biological treatment of waste/wastewater Biodegradation, bioremediation, waste-to-energy (or value-added products) bioconversion
Asst Prof Chang Youngho	Economics of Global Warming and Climate Change; Economics of Renewable Resources; Energy Efficiency and Conservation of Energy; Efficiency and Equity in Electricity Market Deregulation; Economics of Energy Security; Energy and Economic Growth in China
Prof Chen Wei Ning, William	1. Biomolecular Engineering for Environment-Host Interactions; 2. Proteomics Platform for Clinical Biomarkers; 3. Metabolic and Microbial Engineering for Valuable Chemicals; 4. Environmental Engineering for Resource Recovery; 5. Sustainable Production of Food Ingredients
Assoc Prof Chen Yuan	My research activities focus on realizing economical production and applications of monodisperse single walled carbon nanotubes from a chemical engineering approach: (1)Design and synthesize novel catalysts for the controlled economical production of carbon nanotubes with a well-defined atomic (n,m) structure. (2)Develop and implement purification and enrichment methods for obtaining carbon nanotubes with desired electronic properties. (3)Innovate and propose new carbon nanotube characterization methodologies for quality control and to provide performance guidance. (4)Investigate and elucidate growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes through theoretical simulation. (5)Promote carbon nanotube applications, in particularly, flexible and large-area electronics (macroelectronics), solar energy conversion, electromagnetic interference shielding, antibacterial materials, and catalyst (enzyme and noble metal) supports. (6)Investigate antibacterial activity and toxicity of carbon nanotube for safe usage of nanomaterials.
Assoc Prof Cheng Niansheng	Prof Cheng Nian-Sheng's areas of expertise are hydraulics, sediment transport and turbulence. His current research works focus on open channel flows with vegetation, turbulent flows over dune-covered bed, and simultaneous measurements of two-phase flows.
Prof Chiew Yee Meng	He has had more than 25 years of research experience in many aspects of fluvial, hydraulic, coastal and offshore engineering. His particular research interest is in the area of erosion, sediment transport and turbulence. In addition to his research activities, Dr Chiew provides extensive consulting services to the engineering industries, both internationally and in Singapore. He was the Chairman of the 2nd International Conference on Scour and Erosion (ICSE-2) that was held in Singapore in November 2004. SELECTED PUBLICATION LIST 1. Chiew, Y. M. "Mechanics of Local Scour Around Submarine Pipelines" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 116, no. 4, 515-529, 1990. 2. Chiew, Y. M. "Scour Protection at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 118, no. 9, 1260-1269, 1992. 3. Chiew, Y. M. and Parker, G. "Incipient Sediment Transport on Non-Horizontal Slopes" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 32, no. 5, 649-660, 1994. 4. Chiew, Y. M. "Mechanics of Riprap Failure at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 121, no. 9, 635-643, 1995. 5. Song, T. and Chiew, Y. M. and Chin, C. O. "Effect of Bedload Movement on Flow Friction Factor" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 124, no. 2, 165-175, 1998. 6. Cheng, N. S. and Chiew, Y. M. "Turbulent Open-Channel Flow with Upward Seepage" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 36, no. 3, 415-431, 1998. 7. Melville, B. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Time Scale for Local Scour at Bridge Piers" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 125, no. 1, 59-65, 1999. 8. Cheng, N. S. and Chiew, Y. M. "Incipient Sediment Motion with Upward Seepage" Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, vol. 37, no. 5, 665-681, 1999. 9. Ming, D. H. and Chiew, Y. M. "Experimental study for shoreline changes behind a detached breakwater" Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, ASCE, vol. 126, no. 2, 63-70, 2000. 10. Chiew, Y. M. and Lim F. H. "Failure behavior of riprap layer at bridge piers under live-bed conditions" Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 126, no. 1, 43-55, 2000. 11. Song, T. and Chiew, Y. M. "Turbulence Measurement in Non-Uniform Open Channel Flow Using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)". Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, vol. 127, no. 3, 219-232, 2001. 12. Chiew, Y.M. "Failure Mechanisms of Riprap Layer around Bridge Piers". Invited Paper (Plenary Section) in Proc. of First Int. Conf. on Scour of Foundations (ICSF-1), Vol. 1, 70-91, 2002. 13. Chen, X. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Response of Velocity and Reynolds Stress Profiles to Sudden Change of Bed Roughness in Open-Channel Flow". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 129, no. 1, 35-43, 2003. 14. Chen, X. W. and Chiew, Y. M. "Velocity Distribution of Turbulent Open Channel Flow with Bed Suction". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 130, no. 2, 140-148, 2004. 15. Chiew, Y. M. "Local Scour and Riprap Stability at Bridge Piers in a Degrading Channel". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, vol. 130, no. 3, 218-226, 2004. 16. Lu, Y., Chiew, Y.M. and Cheng, N. S. "Review of seepage effects on turbulent open-channel flow and sediment entrainment". Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, 46(4), 476-488, 2008.
Asst Prof Chua Hock Chye Lloyd	Prof Chua's areas of expertise are in urban hydrology and surface water quality. His current research works focus on rainfall runoff modeling, urban runoff water quality and sediment discharge.
Assoc Prof Claus-Dieter Ohl	My general research interest is Experimental Fluid Dynamics which is focused on cavitation phenomena and gas bubble dynamics. In particular I?m interested and have been studying: * air entrainment and rising bubbles, * laser generated bubbles, * bubble shock-wave interaction, * cavitation nucleation on surfaces and particles, * bubble cell interaction including drug delivery, * bubble dynamics in confined geometries and in microfluidics, * digital holography, and * magnetic-nanoparticle coated bubbles. More information can be found on my homepage: http://www1.spms.ntu.edu.sg/~cdohl/home.html
Assoc Prof Dong Zhili	Dr. Dong has more than twenty years experience in transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of materials. His research interests include open-framework materials, nanostructured functional materials, advanced coatings and materials synthesis.
Assoc Prof Du Hejun	His research interests mainly include three areas: 1) numerical and computational methods for engineering applications; 2) MEMS sensors and actuators and micro-fluidics; 3) smart materials and their engineering applications.
Asst Prof Emma Mary Hill	Research interests involve the application of space geodesy to understanding climate change and natural hazards, including measuring sea-level rise, tectonic deformation and melting glaciers using the Global Positioning System (GPS), GRACE gravity satellites and the global tide-gauge network. Future research will particularly focus on the regions of South and Southeast Asia. A particular focus is the development of techniques to combine different geodetic data sets for the purpose of separating the effects of the many different geophysical processes occurring in the Earth system.
Assoc Prof Gong Haiqing, Thomas	Prof. Gong ?s areas of expertise are BioMEMS, genetic testing instrument, microfluidics and microfabrication processes. His current research works focus on bioMEMS for genetic testing of waterborne and airborne pathogens, bioMEMS for gene expression of cancers, new methods for DNA melting curve analysis and genetic testing instrument.
Prof Hans-Curt Flemming	Biofilms Water Pathogens in biofilms Art meets Science
Prof Hu Xiao	Composites and Nanocomposites Functional Polymers: Synthesis and Assembly Nanocrystals Synthesis and Modification (including rods, dots and tubes) Organic-inorganic Hybrid Materials
Asst Prof Huang Zhenhua	Professor Huang's areas of expertise are Hydrodynamics, Environmental fluid mechanics, Coastal and Ocean engineering. His current research works focus on Nonlinear wave-structure interactions; Large scale circulations and transport phenomena in coastal waters; Nonlinear wave dynamycs over coral reef; Shoreline erosion; Wave energy converters; Tsunami hazard mitigation; Flows in porous media.
Prof John Stephen Lansing	Lansing's recent research has to do with the long-term dynamics of coupled social-ecological systems, focusing on two topics. The first has to do with emergent properties of Balinese water temple networks. Currently he is assisting the Government of Indonesia to create a new UNESCO World Heritage site to help preserve the temple networks. The second project is a comparative study of social structure, ecology, kinship, language change and the evolution of disease resistance in 69 villages on 14 Indonesian islands. Recent books include Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali (2006) and Priests & Programmers: Technologies of Power in the Engineered Landscape of Bali (2007). Documentary films include The Goddess and the Computer (1988), a segment of The Sacred Balance (2003), Perfect Order (2006) and Voyagers on the Ring of Fire (2011).
Asst Prof Judith Walls	* corporate sustainability * corporate social responsibility * corporate governance (shareholders, board of directors, top management teams, CEOs) * neo-institutional theory * emotions
Assoc Prof Law Wing-Keung, Adrian	Research in environmental fluid mechanics with special emphasis on wastewater disposal and impact, environmental hydraulics in wastewater treatment processes, pollutant transport in coastal environment, and advanced laser imaging techniques for measurements.
Assoc Prof (Adj) Lim Mong Hoo	Dr. Lim's research interests focus on water treatment and water quality. His research areas include fate of wastewater-derived contaminants in surface water, natural and engineered attenuation processes of these compounds, water treatment processes such as low-energy desalination, membrane filtration, disinfection and advanced oxidation processes. On the water quality aspects, his interests include quick measurement of water quality parameters, formation and control of disinfection by-products, occurrence and removal of taste and odour-releasing compounds, quality of stormwater.
Assoc Prof Lim Teik Thye	Prof Lim's scope of research projects encompasses both practical application of environmental technologies for pollution control and investigation of the process fundamentals. His core areas of research interest focus on application of advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment, developing novel functional materials for water purification, and developing innovative subsurface remediation technologies. He has over the years developed a range of nanomaterials for treating organic and inorganic micropollutants in surface waters, industrial wastewaters, and groundwater. He has also worked on projects exploring innovative use of industrial wastes for various applications, such as construction, earthwork, and environmental preservation. His current research projects are as follows: Novel photocatalysts This research engineers a novel photocatalyst for enhancing photocatalytic redox processes under solar radiation to remove emerging contaminants in water. It leverages off the complementary strengths among environmental process engineering, materials engineering and advanced materials characterization to develop a new-generation photocatalyst system. The advanced photocatalyst is a composite of nitrogen-doped titania (N-TiO2) supported on the powdered activated carbon (AC), or N-TiO2/AC. The composite have dual functionality, exhibiting high adsorptive properties for a variety of organics and photoactivity under visible light. The synergistic properties of the N-TiO2/AC composite enables its on-site regeneration, producing zero waste stream. Selective nanoporous adsorbents The goal is to develop various functional nano-structured materials such as layered double hydroxides (LDHs), zeolites, calcium aluminosilicates and nanoporous carbons to selectively adsorb trace inorganic contaminants, organic contaminants, and biomolecules that are difficult to be sequestrated using conventional adsorbents. The materials, such as LDHs and zeolites, can also function as catalysts to remove recalcitrant contaminants in water and air. Several types of LDHs have been synthesized in our laboratory. The LDHs have been evaluated for sorption of Cr(VI), As(III), As(V), Se(VI), and other oxyanions found in groundwater, surface waters and industrial wastewaters. Removals of up to 99% of certain oxyanions are possible. Bimetallic zerovalent metal particles The research group has synthesized nano-scale, bimetallic particles such as Ni/Fe and Pd/Fe for catalytic reductive transformation of halogenated alkanes and haloaromatics. The transformation pathways for these contaminants have been established for different types of synthesized bimetallic particles, through kinetic and mechanistic examinations of the experimental findings. The effects of catalyst content and particle ageing on their reactivities are investigated. Aqueous matrix effect on the transformation kinetics has been also examined in order to understand the possible performance of these reactive particles in industrial wastewater and contaminated groundwater.
Asst Prof Liu Bin	Architected nanomaterials for solar-to-fuel and solar-to-electric conversion. Photocatalysis for air and water treatment. Nanocomposites. Electrocatalysis. Research Positions Available Dr. Liu Bin’s group in School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Nanyang Technological University is seeking a few qualified postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working on molecular sieves and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for fluorocompound separation. The positions are immediately available. Interested candidates should email their CV to Dr. Liu Bin (liubin@ntu.edu.sg).
Assoc Prof Liu Erjia	Thin films and coatings; Carbon based materials; Nanocomposites; Nanotribology; Electrochemistry.
Prof Liu Yu	Dr. Liu has about 20 years of experience in environmental biotechnology, and has the interests in biological nutrient removal, biogranulation and biofilm technology, molecular mechanism and cellular signaling of biogranulation, granular sludge membrane bioreactor, enhanced anaerobic process for low-strength organic wastewater treatment and integrated approach for water reclamation.
Assoc Prof Lo Yat-Man, Edmond	Application of hydrodynamics to coastal and inland water flows with emphasis on wave mechanics, transport processes and implications on water quality.
Prof Lua Aik Chong	Professor Lua's areas of expertise are the development of activated carbons for adsorbing gaseous and aqueous pollutants and measurement of flow rates. His current research activities are the preparation and characterization of activated carbons, adsorption technology for air pollution and water filtration, development of polymeric membranes for gas separation, measurement of flow rates using fluidic flowmeters and measurements of particulates and gas emissions from diesel engines.
Asst Prof Miles Alexander Powell	My areas of expertise and interest include environmental history, world history, indigenous history, the history of the North American West, and U.S. history.
Prof Ng Wun Jern	NG WUN JERN's research interests are largely in the area of water and wastewater management. The focus of his efforts has been on investigations into water quality, treatment science, and development of treatment technologies. These investigations span the water quality spectrum - ranging from ultra-pure water to high strength and potentially inhibitory wastewaters. His research output may be found in some 400 publications. These include journal papers, conference presentations, book chapters and monographs, reports, and patents. His latest book publications are titled "Industrial Wastewater Treatment" (Imperial College Press) and "Wetlands for Tropical Applications" (Imperial College Press). Current R&D interests revolve around effluent treatment and include dehalogenation under bioreductive conditions. Of particular interest are the chloro-compounds and dehalogenation under acidic conditions with biomass sculptured into granules. The interest in bioreductive (instead of bio-oxidative) processes stems from concern over energy costs and carbon footprints of treatment processes. Anaerobic processes are therefore of interest when used to manage strong wastewaters from industrial and agro-industrial sources. Current R&D interest focuses on thermophilic anaerobic processes and gas productivities and quality. Conceptually there is a shift from viewing the anaerobic process as a wastewater pretreatment device to one which is intended to recover energy from the wastewater. Extending this interest is the work on biosorption where sorption is used to concentrate carbonaceous material from low strength wastewaters prior to anaerobic degradation of the sorbent with gas recovery. This approach deviates from the conventional approach of using anaerobic processes such as the UASB or anaerobic filter to address low strength wastewaters. Laboratory studies typically use the cyclic process configuration although larger scale studies can be with the cyclic or continuous flow configuration. In aerobic treatment, there is interest in the MBR applied with granulated biomass. The interest is on biofouling mitigation using this modified biomass morphology. There is also interest in using the MBR and the concept of "back seeding" to achieve better nutrients removal and degradation of resistant organics (eg textile dyes).
Asst Prof Oliver Martin Mueller-Cajar	Photosynthetic organisms provide us with food and other materials by using light energy from the sun to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make usable sugars. Almost all CO2 enters the biosphere via the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco). In spite of the crucial importance of this process Rubisco is non-specific and slow, which has forced nature to hugely overexpress the protein, or to use tricks such as biochemical or biophysical carbon concentrating mechanisms to saturate the enzyme with substrate. Genomic studies have uncovered that Nature possesses a great diversity of Rubiscos and associated protein machinery to perform the task of CO2 capture, much of it poorly characterized. Research in my laboratory aims to mechanistically describe the biochemistry of CO2-fixation related machinery. By increasing our understanding of the sophisticated mechanisms existing in nature we hope to provide knowledge that can later be applied to improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crop species.
Prof Peter David Steinberg	Marine chemical ecology Marine diseases and climate change The ecology of invertebrate larvae settlement Bacterial biofilm biology and ecology Microbial ecology Kelp and seaweed ecology Environmental biotechnology Environmental bioengineering
Asst Prof Qin Xiaosheng	Research interests: - Water resources and flood risk management - Surface water quality modeling and control - Climate change impact assessment and adaptation planning - Groundwater modeling, risk assessment and site remediation - Air quality control and solid waste management
Assoc Prof Rohit Bhatnagar	Dr. Bhatnagar’s research encompasses two broad areas (1) Supply Chain Planning and Design with focus on third party logistics services providers, and (2) Planning and Design of Manufacturing Systems with focus on production and inventory planning within a multi-plant context. His work in the first area – supply chain planning and design with focus on third party logistics services providers – has evolved as part of his agenda to conduct research in collaboration with the local industry. He has specifically sought collaborative tie-ups with Singapore based companies such as YCH Logistics, Hewlett-Packard, UPS, Motorola, Caterpillar Logistics, DHL and Dell Computers among others. His work in the second area – planning and design of manufacturing systems within a multi-plant context – was initially inspired by his doctoral training and later reinforced by his tie-ups with Singapore based manufacturing firms such as Apple Computers and Keppel-Fels. Since his research work has been carried out in rich real-life contexts, and in close collaboration with the local logistics and manufacturing industry, many of the research findings and insights have been shared and implemented in these firms. This is a significant impact of his research. Another important impact has been the development of robust analytical research methods with broad applications in real life settings.
Assoc Prof Russell Arthur Smith	• Sustainable development and management in the services sector • Corporate Social Responsibility • Focus on hospitality and tourism in Asia • Internationally recognized expert on coastal tourism development and management
Dr Shuy Eng Ban	Research Interests: 1. Urban hydrology, integrated urban storm water and water resource management, including quantity and quality modelling of urban storm runoff and reservoir waters 2. Open channel and closed conduit hydraulics 3. Analysis and control of water hammer in pipelines 4. Groundwater : Aquifer storage and recovery 5. Air pollutant dispersion modelling 6. Density stratified flow 7. Enhanced engineered wetland systems for stormwater management 8. Sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS)
Asst Prof Soo Han Sen	Innovated photosynthesis: A different way to perform artificial photosynthesis Hybrid materials Inorganic and organometallic chemistry Heterogeneous catalysis Photocatalysis Nanoarchitecture and applications of nanomaterials in renewable energy research Green chemistry Environmental remediation with photocatalysis heterogeneous membranes
Prof Staffan Kjelleberg	Kjelleberg is internationally recognized for his studies of bacterial adaptive responses, signalling based communication between bacteria, bacterial biofilm biology, and chemically mediated interactions between bacteria and marine sessile organisms. His research approach includes molecular based studies of the mechanisms by which bacteria respond to prevailing conditions as well as environmental genomics of the biodiversity and function of natural microbial consortia. Kjelleberg has published more than 240 original papers in international refereed scientific journals and 30 books or book chapters. On the basis of strong collaborative research across microbiology, marine ecology and chemistry, and applied studies of the strategies employed by bacteria to build biofilms and communicate, substantial intellectual property has been established and utilized in biotechnology industries. Kjelleberg and his colleagues at the CMB also serve as a major research provider to several companies and organizations, including the Australian based Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre.
Prof Stefan Wuertz	The basic task of an environmental engineer engaged in water quality management is the maintenance of adequate water supplies for the benefit of society. Aspects of both quality and quantity of water are very much at the forefront of today’s challenges in the face of a changing climate and diminishing resources. For example, being able to determine the origins of fecal pollution in urban waterways is becoming increasingly important as we aim to respond to natural and man-made disasters. Knowledge about the sources of microbial and other contaminants can help mitigate their impacts and facilitate risk assessment of exposure to drinking and recreational waters, Similarly, treatment of used water requires increasingly stringent and innovative technologies that build on the discovery and exploitation of microbiological processes, such as those found in the N and P cycle. Through the development of new tools in the life sciences it has become possible to complete whole genome analyses of microorganisms in a short period of time. Bioinformatics tools, while lagging behind in the development of technical solutions to fast and” deep” sequencing technology, are being readied to accommodate the growing need of data compilation, management and interpretation. Across the developed world engineers have begun to interact with their counterparts in the natural sciences in a search for knowledge that can result in new technology for the treatment of water and used water. As a researcher and educator steeped in both environmental engineering and life sciences disciplines, I strongly believe in studying fundamental biological and physico-chemical processes to develop new technology that is sustainable and market-ready in the long term. My vision for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) along with the Singapore Center on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) is to train students in practical and theoretical aspects of what can truly be called environmental life sciences engineering (a new discipline coined by the directorate of SCELSE) and provide guidance to academic colleagues and postgraduate researchers at NTU. In specific terms, my research program involves the following three thrusts: a) Fundamental studies of biofilms and microbial communities in natural and engineered systems The emphasis is on a complete spatial and temporal description of microbial aggregates involved in the removal of chemical constituents-of-concern using advanced imaging and pyrosequencing techniques. b) Optimizing bioreactor treatment strategies As chemical analytical techniques become more sophisticated, so does our knowledge about the occurrence of specific contaminants in the environment. The field of wastewater treatment has historically been based on general treatment goals using empirically derived methods in design. However, this system often fails to deliver specific treatment goals such as degradation of a specific contaminant without affecting general treatment performance. An ever increasing number of chemical contaminants are being detected in treated used water effluent and in biosolids. Therefore, knowledge of the removal mechanisms of specific contaminants as well as an in-depth understanding of overall microbial community dynamics and expression of functional genes in a reactor is necessary. c) Protecting Public Health in Singapore For several years I have been working on the quantitative detection of pathogens in natural (e.g. storm) waters and biosolids using procedures based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Much of this research is driven by the growing realization in the scientific and professional community that for a variety of reasons standard microbial indicators like E. coli, fecal coliforms and enterococci may be inadequate predictors of recent fecal contamination in recreational waters.
Prof Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar	Current research interests for Prof Subodh include Printed Electronics, Biosensors based on carbon naotubes and nanowires, printed power, and Photovoltaics. Common to all these projects are methods of solution depositing semiconductors (organic, carbon nanotubes, or inorganic nanowires), device fabrication, fundamental device physics studies, and device integration.
Assoc Prof Sun Delai, Darren	- TiO2 nanofibe/tube membrane for water and energy (H2 and solar cell) production - Membrane fouling mechanism, control and prevention - Multifunctional membrane module design - Membrane bioreactor design - Composite membranes and membrane modules for environmental applications - Biofilms grown on liquid-permeable membranes - Reutilization of waste into value-added product.
Dr Sze Chun Chau	Assistant Professor Sze Chun Chau's basic research interest lies in bacterial gene regulation and communication. Specifically, the complexity of gene regulatory circuits and inter-species communication are being investigated using biofilms, i.e. surface-associated and structured bacterial communities, as model systems. The two systems that she is currently working on includes (a) intestinal microbiota and (b) Legionella pneumophila in interaction with its amoebic host. On the second level, she is interested in the application and domestication of biofilms in medical, industrial and environmental contexts. Eradication of biofilms has been the primary force driving applied research in this field, but exploiting (rather than fighting) biofilms has great potential that awaits exploration.
Assoc Prof Tan Soon Keat	Dr Tan's research interests include application of geographical information system (GIS) in water resources, numerical simulation of flow for hydraulics and coastal engineering applications. His current research projects include hydrodynamic consideration of mega underwater structures and application of wetland technologies in the removal of pharmaceutical products from wastewater streams. Dr Tan specilaises in urban water management and has developed the catchment – drainage GIS map of NTU campus. The GIS map is designed to facilitate rainfall-runoff modeling as well as water quality modeling. While rainfall-runoff modelling is generally well-established, water quality modeling is not, especially in the estimate of the source concentration of the pollutants. Current research focus in the community is in the establishment of the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) in rainwater runoff. The difficulty lies in the fact that TN and TP varies with time, space as well as the intensity of rainfall. Dr Tan has a PhD project on TN and TP as contaminant in rainwater runoff. Removal of water-borne contaminant, particularly trace quantity of drugs and pharmaceutical products from waste-water streams is a challenge in the management of water resources, and in particular, raw water for water supply. A viable and feasible solution is to employ wetland technology as a means to remove these contaminants. Under the supervision of Dr Tan, a research team is carrying out a series of constructed wetlands experiments with raw water spiked with selected contaminants. The research work has produced meaningful results since its inception in 2009. Currently Dr Tan is leading a research team to conduct research on the various hydrodynamics considerations for a mega underwater structure, looking at the effects of flow, wave and environmental loads on a single or group of surface protruding structures. The research team comprises 10 research fellows. The challenge of the project is that the structure is to be founded on the seabed, with living space on the seabed, or supported on legs or semi-submersible, and the columns also support a deck space above the water, making full use of the 3-dimensional space. The structure has to be of mega-size to make it economically viable. As such, the environmental loads, impact of flow and waves takes on a different dimension compared to a land-based structure or oil platforms. Of particular significance is the possibility of vortex-induced-vibrations, as well as trapping or building up of waves within the group of structures. Later research work includes selection of potential site for the construction of a pilot structure as well as the effects of such structure on seabed sedimentation, ecology as well as its impact on the environment.
Assoc Prof Tiong Lee Kong, Robert	Areas of research interests: 1. catastrophe risk assessment and management 2. alternative risk transfer mechanisms and financing 3. catastrophe micro-insurance 4. sustainable development and systems, 5. impact of climate change, carbon finance and carbon emission reductions 6. integrated risk analysis
Asst Prof Tran Anh Tuan	* Drop-surface interactions * Thermal management using surface modification * Boiling at microscales * Microfluidics
Assoc Prof Wang Jing-Yuan	Dr. Wang’s expertise includes solid waste resource management, contaminated site remediation, and environmental management. His current research interests are focused on decentralized waste and wastewater resource recovery, co-digestion of brown water and food waste, land reclamation of closed dumping ground, and bioconversion of plastic waste into biodegradable plastic polymers.
Assoc Prof Wang Peng	Power system planning and operation; Renewable energy planning; Solar/electricity convesion system; Power market; Power system reliability analysis.
Assoc Prof Wang Rong	Dr Wang's main research interests cover membrane science & technology, chemical & environmental engineering processes. She focuses on (1) Development of various novel membranes such as forward osmosis (FO) hollow fiber membranes, biomimetic membranes, hydrophobic homo/co-PVDF hollow fiber membranes and mixed matrix membranes for membrane-based separation & purification processes; (2) Membrane surface modification for fouling control in water & wastewater treatments; modification of microporous membranes to enhance membrane surface hydrophobicity; (3) Brine processing by membrane distillation crystallization and membrane distillation module design; (4) Simulation and optimization of various membrane processes such as forward osmosis membrane process for seawater desalination; CO2 capture in membrane contactors; concentration polarization in FO/UF membrane systems and separation of mixed gases in membrane modules, etc.
Prof Wen Changyun	Prof Wen's areas of expertise are Adaptive Control,Switching and Impulsive Systems,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Iterative Learning Control,Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Optical signal Processing,Active Vision and Its Applications,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems,Robust Control,2-D Systems and Image Processing. Currently his current research works focus on Adaptive Control,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems.
Assoc Prof Xu Rong	- Photocatalysis for reduction of carbon dioxide and hydrogen production by splitting water using visible light. - Heterogeneous catalysis for environmental applications. - Organic-inorganic layered materials (LDHs) for pharmaceutical applications. - Development of artificial cornea (nanoparticle/polymer composite). - Antimicrobial membrane for water treatment (Silver in microfiltration membrane). - Immobilization of enzymes on inorganic solid support as scalable and reusable biocatalysts.
Asst Prof Xu Zhichuan	The objective of Dr. Xu’s research is to discover and understand electrochemical processes at the nanoscale and to develop nanostructured materials with high performance for renewable and clean energy use. Currently, our research interests focus on the energy related electrochemical catalysis at the nanoscale surface. It includes three directions: 1) nanoparticle catalysts for low temperature catalysis in fuel cell reactions; 2) electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide; and 3) nanostructured electrodes for batteries.
Asst Prof Yan Xiaoli	• Environmental materials for water pollution control • Advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment • Nanotoxicity and Nano-disinfection • Wastewater reclamation • Environmental electrochemical technologies • Recovery of materials and energy from wastewater and wastes
Asst Prof Yang En-Hua	Strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC); Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC); Self-healing/smart construction material; Green building/construction material; Ultra-high performance concrete; Multi-functional high performace roof/facade coating; Building energy simulation; Waste-to-resource/energy; Life cycle assessment; Micromechanics; Corrosion; Fatigue; Impact
Prof Yoel Sasson	1. Phase Transfer Catalysis: Fundamentals and Industrial Applications. 2. Multiphase Catalytic Process Development. Mainly Oxidations, Hydrogenations and Halogenations. 3. Environmental Catalysis and Photocatalysis. Water Treatment by Solar Photocatalysis. 4. Hydrogen and Energy Storage, Hydrogen Carriers. 5. Purification of Flue Gas Using Novel Ionic Liquid Scrubbers.

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