Environmental engineering
From the circular economy to water and waste treatment research to how microbes behave and survive indoors; our engineering solutions improve environmental health - and the health of the environment.
Our work
Our interdisciplinary research at focuses on developing sustainable, science-based solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges by combining engineering, environmental science, policy, and data analytics to drive practical, scalable change.
One area of focus is sustainable water and wastewater management, including advanced treatment technologies, water reuse systems, and pollution control. We also study air quality, environmental fluid dynamics, and urban hydrology, developing tools and models to better understand and mitigate risks like flooding, heat stress, and pollutant dispersion in complex urban environments.
A growing emphasis is placed on the circular economy - rethinking how materials and resources are used in cities and infrastructure. By investigating how to reduce waste, extend the life of materials, and design systems for reuse and recycling—we support a transition away from the traditional linear “take-make-dispose” model. This includes work into construction and demolition waste, nutrient recovery from wastewater, and sustainable materials for low-carbon infrastructure.
Digital innovation plays a key role in our research, with tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) helping to design and evaluate sustainable interventions.
Through close collaboration with policymakers, industry, and global partners we actively shape a cleaner, safer and more equitable world.
Our academic staff
Professor of Environmental Engineering
Area of expertise
- Quantitative sustainability methods and tools to support the design and delivery of technology, systems and services to help achieve net zero
- Bioresource technology: recovering valuable chemicals and energy from biomass
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
Professor of Environmental Engineering
Area of expertise
- Design and evaluation of cost-effective water and sanitation technologies
- Interventions to reduce environmental pollution and improve public health and wellbeing
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Water, waste, energy and food nexus in Brazil: Identifying a resource interlinkage research agenda through a systematic review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2021)
Professor of Build Environment Microbiology
Area of expertise
- Application of molecular biology techniques to the profiling of microbial communities found in various built environments
- Bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms and their modes of transfer among different communities
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Promotion mechanism of nanomaterials and modified/combined nanomaterials on photodegradation of organic pollutants: a review based on meta-analysis, Journal of Environmental Management (2025)
Associate Professor
Area of expertise
- Design and modelling of sustainable, adaptive and resilient infrastructure systems under deep uncertainty
- Developing frameworks that support long-term infrastructure planning, resource allocation, and risk management across sectors and scales
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Sustainable management of produced water supply chain system: the validation of model-independent parameters for Kuwait oil company case study, International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (2024)
Lecturer in Environmental Engineering
Area of expertise
- Environmentally sustainable engineering
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- A review of the implementation of R-imperatives in circular construction, Cleaner Production Letters (2025)
Lecturer in Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering
Area of expertise
- Quantitative approaches to examine water quantity, quality and distribution
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
Professor of Environmental Engineering
Area of expertise
- The development of sustainable technologies and systems to enable the return of industrial by-products and residual wastes to the resource loop
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Bayesian material flow analysis of the construction aggregate cycle in England, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2025)
Lecturer in Environmental Engineering
Area of expertise
- Understanding how public policy shapes the use of materials and energy in society
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Uncovering the evolution of the global Nickel cycle and trade networks, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2025)
Lecturer in Engineering Education
Area of expertise
- Engineering for society: putting people at the centre of the design process for fire engineering, fire-safe design and design for neurodivergent-inclusive spaces
Selected publications
See UCL profile for complete list.
- Redefining competency in fire safe design, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Civil Engineering (2024)
Our facilities
Healthy Infrastructure facility
Using traditional culture and molecular biology methods, we measure indoor air quality, test and validate antimicrobial strategies and provide microbial sampling and identification.
