John McGrath

John McGrath is Professor of Environmental Microbiology at Queen's University Belfast's School of Biological Sciences, and Director of the Irish Nutrient Sustainability Platform. He holds affiliations with the Institute for Global Food Security and Research Centre in Sustainable Energy. With a PhD supervision record of 15 completed and 12 ongoing doctoral students, he leads research in waste valorization and pathogen control.

His research spans:

• Biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus/nitrogen in aquatic/terrestrial systems
• Metagenomic surveillance of pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, RSV, antimicrobial resistance)
• Development of biological/chemical waste treatment technologies
• Microbial ecology of anaerobic digestion systems
• Novel disinfection methods for ESKAPE pathogens

Publications demonstrate strong focus on wastewater-based epidemiology (33% of recent articles), microbial phosphorus metabolism (27%), and pathogen genomics (20%). Research consistently integrates molecular biology with environmental engineering solutions.

Current projects include:

• IMMACULATE: Sustainable mass spectrometry applications
• Irish Nutrient Platform development
• Phosphorus recovery technologies from wastewater
• Novel sorbents for nitrogen removal

Leads cross-disciplinary teams at the Environmental Microbiology Lab, collaborating internationally on wastewater surveillance initiatives and microbial resource recovery projects.