Associate Professor Min Zheng

ARC Industry Fellow, Scientia Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering

I am an environmental microbiologist and water engineer with extensive experience spanning both academia and industry. My research focuses on microbial ecology, applied microbiology, and bioprocessing for sustainable water and waste management. For instance, in microbial ecology, I investigate novel acid-tolerant microbial communities involved in nitrogen cycling (e.g., ARC DP230101340, DP260100039), and my industry collaborations have enabled field-scale validation of a number of innovative microbial processes for wastewater treatment in both rural and metropolitan areas (e.g., ARC IE230100245, LP230201054).

I have established an internationally recognised research profile in water & environmental engineering disciplines. My research impact stems from a multidisciplinary combination of microbiology, process engineering, and industry-led innovation. Since relocating to Australia as a full-time researcher in 2019, I have demonstrated a steep upward trajectory in research leadership, productivity, and impact. I am currently a Scientia Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney, leading the Green Environmental Technologies for Sustainability (GetSustain) research group. 

Since 2019, I have secured over $12M in competitive research funding as CI (>$7M as lead CI), including 2 ARC Discovery Grants (1 as lead CI), 4 ARC Linkage Grants (2 as lead CI), 2 industry research fellowships (e.g., ARC IE), 1 CRC-P (as co-CI), and substantial in-kind support from industry. These projects directly address key national and global challenges in circular-economy innovations and net-zero emissions. 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 8 HDR students to completion, with graduates achieving outstanding recognition, including prestigious Fellowships (ARC DECRA & Industry, Advance Queensland), National Student Prize (Australian Water Association), Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD thesis (UQ), and Honourable Mention for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award by Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP, USA). I currently lead 11 HDR students, 2 postdoctoral researchers, and 1 ARC DECRA Fellow, providing tailored career development support.

I have authored >160 peer-reviewed 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 5,000+ citations (averaging more than 30 citations per paper) with 40+ H-index. Of the total 160+ publications, ~70 papers were published in Nature Publishing Group journals (Nature Sustainability, Nature Water, Nature Communications) and top discipline-specific, Nature-indexed journals (The ISME Journal, Environmental Science & Technology, and Water Research). Eight papers have been ESI Highly Cited papers (Clarivate, Web of Science), meaning they rank in the top 1% by citations in their relevant field.

My research also generates industry-relevant outputs, including three Australian patents: i) Method of Upgrading Biogas (No. 2025903941), ii) Gas Treatment Process (No. 2022902104), and iii) Method for Treating Wastewater or Sludge (No. 2019901771). I have co-founded a UNSW spinout company to accelerate the commercialisation of these groundbreaking technologies.