Inka Vanwonterghem

Dr. Inka Vanwonterghem is a Research Scientist at CSIRO's Environmental Systems Biology group, focusing on optimizing metagenomic bioprospecting for novel enzymes and proteins. She holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering/Microbial Ecology (2015) and MSc/BSc in Environmental Engineering and Bioscience Engineering from Ghent University (2011/2009).

• PhD (2015): Environmental Engineering/Microbial Ecology, University of Queensland
• MSc (2011): Environmental Engineering, Ghent University
• BSc (2009): Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University

Her research spans microbial ecology, metagenomics, and bioprospecting, with applications in coral reef restoration, bioremediation, and bioelectrochemical systems. She employs multi-omics approaches to study microbial interactions in marine and wastewater environments.

Recent publications highlight her work on coral larval settlement (2025), microbial network dynamics (2023), and bioelectrochemical water treatment (2019). Her projects include the GBRF Reef Restoration Program (2021-2023) and collaborations across Australian and European institutions.

Vanwonterghem leads interdisciplinary studies on microbial community responses to environmental stressors, with implications for marine conservation and sustainable wastewater management. Her expertise in bioinformatics and systems biology drives advancements in microbiome engineering.