Sofie Zacho Vestergaard

Sofie Zacho Vestergaard is a PhD Fellow at Aalborg University's Department of Chemistry and Bioscience within the Faculty of Engineering and Science. Her research focuses on environmental microbiology and biotechnology, specifically investigating microbial communities in wastewater treatment systems.

Her primary research interests include:

• Extracellular polymeric substance production in activated sludge bacteria
• Genomic analysis of Zoogloea and other biopolymer-producing microorganisms
• Microbial community assembly in wastewater treatment plants
• Metagenomic approaches for biopolymer recovery

Analysis of her publication record reveals a strong focus on applying advanced genomic techniques to understand and harness microbial processes in wastewater treatment, with particular emphasis on exopolysaccharide synthesis and biopolymer recovery for circular economy applications. Her work bridges fundamental microbiology with practical environmental engineering solutions.

Scientific awards include:

• Novo Scholarship Program (December 2021)
• AAU Biotech Scholarship (September 2021)

She actively participates in research dissemination through conference presentations and is a key contributor to the REThiNk project focused on recovering extracellular polymers from wastewater residuals as circular biopolymers.