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.

Dr Groth aims to protect people from communicable respiratory diseases by studying how the physical and chemical properties of exhaled respiratory particles determine the fate of respiratory viruses. His research focuses on determining the different mechanisms by which exhaled respiratory particles can transmit infections, including understanding the airborne viral load exhaled by people and the survival dynamics of infectious agents. To measure these effects, he employs a combination of atmospheric science techniques and analytical microscopy.

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.

Dr Li graduated with a PhD degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2007. Heis aResearch Fellowin the Department of Mechanical Engineering, TheUniversity of Melbourne. Prior to his current appointment, Dr Li worked at RMIT University in research and teaching positions. He is an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), having an established track record in combining CFD theories and methods with multidisciplinary knowledge to develop novel predictive models. His research has contributed to many industrial applications,including cryogenic systems, nuclear reactor safety, microelectronic thermal management, aerospace propulsion systems, indoor air quality and airborne infection transmission. He is a named investigator in multiple research projects, has published more than 100 research papers and supervised 4 PhD students to completion. He was an APDI fellow (2011–2013)and awardee of the 2022 The Australian National Research Awards.

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.

Hedy earned her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Sydney, where she developed a strong interest in environmental economics research. In 2021, she began her PhD in Accounting at the Queensland University of Technology under the supervision of Professors Ellie Chapple, Pamela Kent, and Hongtao Shen. Her doctoral research examined environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks in supply chains. During her PhD, Hedy worked as a research assistant on a project assessing the carbon sink potential of macroalgae farming. She led the team in developing and publishing accounting guidelines for assessing the carbon footprint of cultivated macroalgae. As a postdoctoral fellow at THRIVE, Hedy’s research focuses on conducting a cost-benefit analysis of new schools with improved indoor air quality.

Mr. Punsara Dharaka is a PhD candidate originally from Sri Lanka, focusing on the assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in school environments. He holds a Bachelor’s Honors degree in Environmental Science from the University of Peradeniya, SriLanka, with a background in Environmental Chemistry and Botany. His previous research experience focuses on rainwater quality monitoring and the adaptation of plants to various environmental conditions, including temperature fluctuations and soil salinity variations. With his research experience in different environmental science-related aspects, he lays a strong foundation for the THRIVE PhD program at QUT.

Kavindi Gunasinghe is a PhD student specializing in atmospheric microbiology, airborne disease transmission and indoor air quality. Her research currently focuses on healthy human salivary bacteria, their relationship with aerosol droplets, aerostability, and their impact on indoor air quality. Kavindi completed Master of Philosophy degree in Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, where she focused on VOC bioremediation aspects of bacteria and ornamental plants and improving indoor air quality.

Udita Gupta completed her Master in Technology in Environmental Engineering at the Gautam Buddha University in India. Her thesis focused on studying the role of traffic demand management scenarios on PM2.5 and PM10 ambient concentrations using dispersion modeling tool, ADMS_Urban. Her current researchat THRIVE bridges the gap between science andtechnology. She is working on developing a PM2.5 sensor network for a real building.

Professor Geoff Hanmer is the Managing Director of ARINA, a consultancy specialising in educational facilities and particularly the higher education sector. He is also an academic, teaching construction at UTS, where he is a Professional Fellow and at the University of Adelaide where he is an Adjunct Professor. Professor Geoff Hanmer has expertise in research on building construction, integration of engineering sub – systems and the building regulatory framework, including the International Construction Code, the Australian National Construction Code (NCC) and standards.

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.

Savinda is a PhD candidate specialising in the application of low-cost PM2.5 sensors for indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring. She earned her BSc (Special) in Environmental Conservation and Management from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, graduating with first-class honours and receiving the gold medal for best academic performance in 2018. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted ecotoxicology research, analysing the effects of copper and cadmium on freshwater ecosystems using Species Sensitivity Distribution analysis. She later pursued an MSc in Environmental Engineering and Management at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, graduating in 2021 with two awards for academic excellence. At AIT, she led a study on air pollution modelling, employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to assess how different vegetation types and configurations influence PM2.5 dispersion. Her current research interests include environmental engineering, indoor air quality, low-cost sensors, and ecotoxicology.

Dilani Madhubhashini is an environmental researcher with a strong academic background and industry experience. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Conservation and Management from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, graduating with First-Class Honors in 2021. Following her degree, Dilani gained valuable experience working in both academia and industry, contributing to projects in environmental science and sustainability. In 2024, she joined THRIVE at QUT. Her research is focused on understanding the effects of outdoor air on indoor air quality in the context of climate change. Through her work, she aims to develop scientific understanding and innovative strategies to enhance indoor air resilience and create healthier built environments.

Mohammad Sarmadi is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Epidemiology, focusing on the health impacts of indoor air pollution in Australia. His research aims to quantify the burden of disease attributed to indoor air pollutants, shedding light on their specific effects on public health. By investigating pollutants found in indoor environments, his work is expected to inform public health policies and guide better building regulations. Through this research, Mohammad aspires to raise awareness about the health risks of poor indoor air quality and contribute to the development of strategies for creating safer and healthier living environments. His work ultimately aims to improve community health and foster sustainable living conditions.

Bob Sharon is a passionate and tenacious ‘disruptor’ and innovator who came out from the I.T., cyber security and data centre arenas. Bob had the privilege of conducting the first“NABERS” Data Centre Energy rating back in 2013. Bob was an honorary member of the organisation that implemented the ‘Checkpoint FireWall1 v.1.0, the first commercial firewall in Australia, in 1994. He has delivered speeches at numerous conferences across APAC overthe past 15 years. He is an eminently qualified data centre judge, judging data centres across the globe. He the CEO and founder of Blue IoT, a multi award winning company, who developed a smart buildings and campuses IoT platform which has significantly reduced carbon emissions. Blue IoT and have made breakthroughs with new technological strategies and developments for improving IAQ.

“There are no limits to what we can do or achieve, except for the ones we place in our ownminds”. Bob Sharon

Samitha Wijewantha is a PhD candidate specializing in the relationship between indoor air chemistry and the pH of respiratory aerosols. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, in 2021. Samitha’s background is in chemistry, statistics, and data-driven projects. She is passionate about exploring the relationship of indoor air quality and disease transmission, aiming to contribute valuable insights through her work.

Hong-Zhi Zhang is a PhD student of THRIVE at QUT. With a background in preventive medicine and public health, his research explores the health impacts of indoor air quality, particularly pollutants such as PM₂.₅, CO, and CO₂. Hong-Zhi research focuses on applying epidemiological and statistical methods to evaluate environmental interventions and their effects on children’s cognitive function. He has published in top-tier journals, including International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health and Epidemiology, and brings interdisciplinary strength from both medicine and data science.

Bingnan Zhao holds a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master in Environmental Engineering. His previous research involved numerical modelling of atmospheric air quality. Currently, his research focuses on indoor air quality prediction and intelligent decision-making in Building Management Systems (BMS). By applying data analytics and machine learning, he aims to develop smart control strategies that ensure healthy indoor environments while optimizing energy consumption.