Researchers

Dr. Enoch K. Adotey, originally from Ghana, holds a Ph.D. in Science, Engineering, and Technology from Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, where his research focused on fabricating functional nanomaterials as sensors to study air quality and atmospheric chemistry. He also holds an M.Sc. in Air Quality Control, Solid Waste, and Wastewater Process Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and a B.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

After completing his Ph.D. in 2023, Dr. Adotey became a consultant and research scientist at the Laboratory of Materials Processing and Applied Physics, Center for Energy and Advanced Materials at the National Laboratory of Astana, Nazarbayev University. He worked on projects including “Building Capacity to Improve Air Quality in South & Central Asia” at Nazarbayev University. With extensive experience in both indoor and outdoor air quality, Dr. Adotey brings expertise in air quality and material science.

Henry graduated from the University of Bristol with a BSc in Medical Microbiology in 2014, and then spent several years working in research labs both in academia and industry on a range of microbiology and molecular biology focused projects.

In 2018 he started his PhD at the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre, under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Reid, where he was introduced to the field of Aerobiology. During this PhD he carried out research attempting to understand the factors contributing the airborne transmission of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 and Group A Streptococcus.

He met Professor Morawska at the Athens International Aerosol Conference in 2022, which led to him joining the Thrive team as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2023. Since then, he has begun several research projects aiming to develop new tools that will allow us to better understand the risk of airborne disease transmission in the built environment.

Dr Kevin is a Senior Research Engineer with the Fluid Mechanics Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Melbourne. He received his PhD in 2019 in fluid mechanics specialising in turbulent flows and experimental techniques. Kevin leads a team of Engineers providing R&D and consulting service in hydro – and aerodynamics, including in Indoor Air Quality. During the height of the pandemic, Kevin performed aerosol studies in numerous hospital wards, commercial buildings, schools and public transports. He was also the Project Lead in an MRFF BTB grant on Isolation Hood, linking numerous collaborators and a commercialisation partner. The project has been successful (award winning, model case study, sales number, and attracting further cash support from funder). IAQ and public health remain big part of his research activity.

Dr Martin Larbi has a background in architecture, urban design, and project management. He received his PhD degree in 2019 at the School of Architecture and Built Environment – University of Adelaide, South Australia. Martin is a scholar of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and a Green Star Accredited Professional (Design and As-Built rating tool).
He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Building System against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE) at Queensland University of Technology. His research focuses on ventilation design decision support tools for building design practitioners.

Justine Hupkes is a PhD candidate specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for air quality assessment with a focus on Displacement Ventilation. Holding an Honors Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics, she brings a strong academic foundation to her research. With previous experience in climate and engineering consulting, Justine combines practical expertise with her academic pursuits. Originally from Belgium, she is fluent in Dutch and proudly represents the fifth generation of engineers in her family. Justine’s skill set includes proficiency in coding, mathematics, and software applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with a deep understanding of mining knowledge.

Salman Khan is a PhD student in the SGEAS at the University of Melbourne (April 2024-present), where he is working on indoor air quality and airborne transmissions. He is analyzing the relationship between CO2, ventilation, temperature and RH with the transmission of airborne infections and respiratory diseases in indoor environments. His PhD supervisors are A/P Robyn Schofield and Prof. Jason Monty.

He has done a Master of Technology (M Tech) in Environmental Engineering from IIT Roorkee, India, where he worked on the project ‘Assessment of deposition of particulate matter in the human respiratory system’. He published two research journals and attended an international conference. His research interests are air quality monitoring and modeling, air pollution and control, climate change, health risk assessment and public health policy.