Ying Cheng

Dr. Ying Cheng is a Research Associate at the University of Newcastle, holding dual appointments in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences and the School of Architecture and Built Environment within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. Her work focuses on developing innovative technologies for sustainable environmental remediation and energy recycling, with particular expertise in sensor development and green synthesized nanomaterials.

Dr. Cheng earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle, following a Master of Engineering from Fujian Normal University in China. Her undergraduate studies were completed at China Agricultural University, where she focused on soil aggregate and organic carbon stability in the North China plain. During her master's studies, she specialized in remediation of printing sewages using green synthesized nanomaterials and biomaterials, and her PhD research centered on the fabrication of biocompatible anode electrodes in Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for sewage treatments and energy recovery.

Her research spans multiple areas with sensor technology accounting for 70% of her focus, followed by environmental assessment and monitoring (10%), environmental nanotechnology (10%), energy generation (5%), and One Health (5%). She has developed green synthesized graphene-based nanocomposites and biomaterials for environmental applications, with particular expertise in creating functional materials that combine bacterial strains like Burkholderia species with nanomaterials for enhanced contaminant removal. Her primary research focus since graduation has been method development of rapid and reliable in-field detection and sensor invention for environmental risk assessment.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating advanced sensing technologies with machine learning for environmental monitoring. Her work increasingly focuses on developing portable, field-deployable solutions for detecting contaminants like volatile organic compounds, arsenic, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Many of her studies combine nanomaterials with biological systems to create innovative remediation approaches, particularly for simultaneous removal of multiple contaminants from water systems.

• 33 peer-reviewed journal articles
• 1 book chapter
• 1 patent
• 6 research grants totaling $2,444,668

Dr. Cheng has secured significant research funding for projects focused on rapid field-based assessment methods for contaminated sites. Her collaborative work frequently involves researchers like Liang Wang and Ravi Naidu, with whom she has developed several field-deployable solutions that simplify environmental monitoring and make it more accessible. Her laboratory work centers on green synthesized nanomaterials for environmental applications, with established expertise in microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment and energy recovery.