I joined the Faculty of Science and Technology in 2009 as a Lecturer in Bioprocess Technology. My BSc degree was in Industrial Chemistry from Makerere University, Uganda, after which I worked as a Production Chemist at Kampala Pharmaceutical Industries (1996) Ltd. I then returned to Makerere University as an Assistant Lecturer in Industrial Chemistry. In 2003 I completed my MSc (Batch Process Engineering from Loughborough University, UK.)
For my PhD I investigated the fermentative production of hydrogen from carbohydrate-rich substrates which I completed in 2007 from the Sustainable Environment Research Centre, University of Glamorgan, UK (now University of South Wales). I stayed at Glamorgan for postdoctoral studies investigating the enhancement of hydrogen production from fermentation end products using microbial electrolysis cells. I also have a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education obtained from the University of Westminster in 2012.
Current research interests
Utilisation of biological resources for the fermentative production of renewable energy fuels/carriers particularly biohydrogen and biobutanol.
Bio-electrochemical systems e.g. microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment / electricity production and for production of renewable chemicals.
Process optimisation of bioreactor systems for the production of biological products.
Current projects
Development of bioelectrochemical systems for improved treatment of wastewater containing azo dyes. One project is looking at biological catalysts to replace platinum in microbial fuel cells; another project (METRIS) is looking at treatment of azo dye containing wastewater so the treated water can be reused for useful purposes e.g. irrigation - https://sites.google.com/view/metriseguk/home as well as https://www.westminster.ac.uk/applied-biotechnology-research-group/f... .
Microbial-based strategies for efficient production of microbial products at a large scale
Biofilm control via quorum quenching
Completed projects
Process optimisation of fermentative hydrogen production (2012 - 2013)
Treatment of wastewater containing azo dyes using microbial fuel cells (2010-2014).
Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated groundwater and soils using bioelectrochemical systems (2011-2015).
Development of biocomposites with novel characteristics through enzymatic grafting (2011-2015).
Improved bacterial electricity production from wastewater using a synthetic biology approach (2015 - 2019)
If you wish to pursue PhD studies in the following general areas, please get in touch:
Development of new environmental biotechnologies (e.g. microbial fuel cells) for wastewater treatment and resource recovery
Bioprocess optimisation for production of biological products e.g. biofuels
Metabolic engineering approaches to improving the productivity of microbial products.
Research Groups / Key Appointments:
Member of the following research groups/professional organisations:
