Dr. Lokesh Padhye is an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering. He obtained his Masters and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He is also a registered professional engineer (P.E.) with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Engineering New Zealand. Prior to joining the University of Auckland, he worked as a senior environmental engineer in Atlanta for three years and as an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for one year. Dr. Padhye was also a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) from 2016 to 2019.

Dr. Padhye's research interests are in the fields of water quality, water/wastewater treatment, and environmental contaminant remediation. His research group is particularly interested in studying the fate and treatment of emerging aqueous contaminants, including PPCPs, pesticides, PFAS, 6-PPD, and microplastics. Dr. Padhye has won numerous awards during his career from prestigious organizations worldwide (American Chemical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Georgia Tech, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and the University of Auckland).
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Service Roles:

Current:

Environmental Engineering Group Leader

Environmental Engineering Laboratory Director

Department's Teaching and Learning Quality Committee (TLQC)

Department's People and Culture Committee

Department's Digital Presence Committee

Faculty of Engineering's Faculty Staffing Committee (FSC)

Faculty of Engineering's International Strategic Group (ISG)

The University of Auckland - Independent Chair for PhD Oral Examinations

Past:

Department's PG Advisor (2015-2019)

Department's Acting Deputy HoD (2016-2017)

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Committee/Professional groups/Services:

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology - Editorial Board

Colloids and Surfaces C - Editorial Board

Frontiers in Chemical Engineering – Associate Editor

OWRC – Oceania Water Research Consortium - Founder

TBPE – Texas Board of Professional Engineers - Professional Engineer

Engineering New Zealand – Chartered Engineer

Qualifications:

Ph.D., P.E., CMEngNZ, SFHEA

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Areas of Expertise:

Water Quality

Environmental Chemistry

Innovative Water/Wastewater Treatment Technologies

Wastewater Reuse

Emerging Contaminants

Abiotic and Biotic Transformation Kinetics of Micropollutants

Water Safety, Security, and Sustainability

Mitigation Technologies for Green House Gas Emissions

Low Impact Designs

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Media Keywords:

Environmental Science, Global Climate Change, Water Quality, Sustainability