Dr. Iorhemen’s research team at UNBC includes the following:
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
None currently.
Doctoral Students
Kim Kofi Kwakye (PhD student) is leading advanced research on the recovery of curdlan and xanthan biopolymers from aerobic granular sludge (AGS) wastewater treatment systems. His research focuses on developing strategies to enhance the biosynthesis of these high value bioproducts during wastewater treatment without impacting treatment performance and systems stability.
Graduate Students
Dr. Rebecca Ngoholve Vesuwe (MASc student) is researching the most suitable method for the extraction of extracellular polymeric substances and the effect of Solids retention time (SRT) on the biosynthesis of curdlan and xanthan in aerobic granular sludge wastewater system.
Interns
Estefi Tavera De La Garza (July – Sept 2026): A MITACS Global Research Intern working with our research team to support experimental research on the development of cost-effective biochar-based water treatment technology.
Muhammad Ali Iftikhar (June – Aug. 2026): A MITACS Global Research Intern contributing to experimental research for advancement of sustainable wastewater treatment through innovative resource recovery strategies like xanthan and curdlan biopolymers, supporting the transition toward a circular economy by transforming wastewater derived materials into valuable bioproducts with environmental and industrial applications.
Victoria Vázquez Arteaga (May – Aug. 2026): A MITACS Global Research Intern working with our research team to support experimental research on the recovery of curdlan and xanthan biopolymers from aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment systems. Her work contributes to advancing resource recovery and circular economy approaches in sustainable wastewater treatment.
Undergraduate Students
None currently.
Alumni
Dr. Resty Nabaterega (Sept. 2024 – June 2026) – a postdoctoral fellow who supported research of resource recovery from AGS wastewater treatment systems and development cost-effective water treatment technologies.
Mehdi Mohammadpour (MASc 2025) – Effect of organic loading rate, carbon to nitrogen ratio, and feeding strategy on the biosynthesis of tyrosine and tryptophan in aerobic granular sludge wastewater system.
Adedamola Ali (MASc 2025) – Enhancing biofiltration technology for the treatment of wildfire-impacted raw water (co-supervised with Dr. Ron Thring).
Reim Soliman (MASc 2025) – Interactions of operational parameters for brewery wastewater treatment using aerobic granular sludge.
Adedoyin Adekunle (MASc 2025) – Optimization of curdlan biosynthesis in the granule matrix during wastewater treatment in aerobic granular sludge systems.
Manveer Kaur (MASc 2025) – Optimization of xanthan biosynthesis in the granule matrix in aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment systems sludge.
Erik Groenenberg (MASc 2025) – Optimizing cold-climate treatment wetland performance: integrating machine learning analysis with experimental evaluation of Carex utriculata‘s functional resilience (co-supervised with Dr. Flor Garcia-Becerra).
Jibrael Odoom (MASc 2025) – Application of modified walnut shell adsorbents in oily wastewater treatment (co-supervised with Dr. Jianbing Li).
Mohamed Amine Meryeh (June – August 2024): A MITACS Global Research Intern who worked with our research team to support experimental studies on aerobic granular sludge technology, contributing to ongoing research aimed at advancing sustainable wastewater treatment processes.
Moumita Mondal (July – October 2023): MITACS global research intern who worked with our research team to support experimentation with aerobic granular sludge.
Rika Rao: Rika worked in the Summer work-integrated-learning opportunity. I co-supervised her with Dr. Deborah Roberts. Rika worked on organic matter and nutrient removal using aerobic granular sludge biotechnology.
Cordell Lord: 2nd-year undergraduate student in environmental engineering. Cordel worked on setting up and running the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) bioreactor to treat wastewater.
Kaelin Sundberg-Groot: 2nd-year undergraduate student in environmental engineering. Kaelin worked on setting up and running the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) bioreactor to treat wastewater.
William Challis: 2nd-year undergraduate student in environmental engineering. William worked on setting up and running the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) bioreactor to treat wastewater.