Curriculum Vitae

Research

My research explores the fate and transformation of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in aquatic environments and water treatment systems. At the interface of environmental biotechnology, microbial ecology, and analytical chemistry, I investigate how microbial activity, redox conditions, and organic matter govern contaminant transformation. My PhD focuses on bank filtration and managed aquifer recharge as natural treatment barriers for protecting groundwater and drinking water resources.

I combine long-term laboratory column experiments, pure-culture studies, and environmental sampling to understand where, how, and under which conditions micropollutants are transformed. A central question is how the spatial sequence of oxic and anoxic environments shapes microbial communities, transformation pathways, and the subsequent fate of transformation products. This work extends beyond parent-compound removal to examine the formation, persistence, and further transformation of products.

My methodological approach integrates liquid chromatography–tandem and high-resolution mass spectrometry for contaminant quantification and transformation product identification with microbial community analysis and comparative proteomics and metaproteomics. Through collaborative research, we also combine transformation product analysis with multielement compound-specific stable isotope analysis to elucidate photochemical and advanced oxidation mechanisms. Related projects extend these questions to graywater treatment in wetland roofs and antibiotic transformation during nutrient recovery from wastewater.

Overall, my research seeks to connect molecular transformation mechanisms with microbial processes and treatment-system design. The goal is to identify conditions that support effective contaminant attenuation while accounting for transformation product persistence, thereby promoting sustainable water treatment, reuse, and drinking water resource protection.

Publications