Ji Lu

Dr. Ji Lu is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and ARC DECRA Fellow at the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (CWEB) within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology at the University of Queensland. He holds a PhD from the same institution (awarded 2020) focused on environmental contaminants and antibiotic resistance dissemination.

His research investigates the spread of antibiotic resistance in environmental and engineered systems, with emphasis on:

• Impacts of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals (e.g., antidepressants, triclosan) on horizontal gene transfer
• Nanoparticle-mediated antibiotic resistance propagation
• Virus persistence in water systems (including SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance)
• Novel disinfection technologies (e.g., photo-Fenton processes) against resistant pathogens

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2020-2025) reveals dominant themes in environmental antimicrobial resistance, particularly concerning pollutants (pharmaceuticals, microplastics, nanoparticles), disinfection byproducts, and wastewater-based epidemiology. His work consistently integrates molecular microbiology with environmental engineering solutions.

Awards include:

• ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2024-2026)
• Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (2020-2023)

Dr. Lu supervises PhD students in projects on antimicrobial resistance drivers in urban water ecosystems and emerging contaminant removal. He leads ARC DECRA-funded research on pollutant-mediated antimicrobial resistance and collaborates on wastewater treatment innovation.