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Contaminants of emerging concern continue to present new challenges for environmental practitioners, regulators and researchers as understanding evolves around their occurrence, behaviour, risks and management. As emerging contaminants gain increased attention across industry, government and academia, there is a growing need to translate research findings into practical approaches that support effective environmental decision-making.
Building on the themes of the ALGA Emerging Contaminants Symposium, this webinar will showcase a series of research projects exploring contaminants of emerging concern and their implications for environmental management, monitoring and policy. Presentations will highlight current investigations across a range of disciplines, reflecting the increasingly collaborative and cross-disciplinary nature of the sector.
In this webinar, presenters will explore:
The webinar will feature five short presentations from researchers and emerging professionals, showcasing current and recently completed research on contaminants of emerging concern. Attendees will gain insight into emerging findings, developing methodologies, and innovative approaches that support environmental management and decision-making.
This session will be valuable for contaminated land consultants, environmental scientists, researchers, regulators, industry practitioners, site owners, and students interested in contaminants of emerging concern. A live Q&A will follow the presentations, providing opportunities for discussion and audience engagement. The session will be recorded.
Bangle Wu (Bernice) is a social researcher working at the intersection of science, policy, and society. She holds a PhD in science and technology studies and science communication. Her doctoral research examined how PFAS are understood as a regulatory problem in Australia and in its global contexts. Her broader research interests explore how knowledge systems and modern materials become entangled in shaping environmental governance, green transformations, and societal futures.
Sachin SureshKumar holds a Master’s degree in Geology and is currently completing a Master of Artificial Intelligence at RMIT University. His interests lie at the intersection of hydrogeology, contaminated land, groundwater risk and explainable artificial intelligence. His work explores how geospatial and environmental datasets can be combined with AI to support monitoring prioritisation and decision-making for emerging contaminants, including PFAS. He is particularly interested in developing practical, transparent digital tools that can assist consultants, regulators and researchers in managing complex groundwater and environmental risks.
Habib Amidu is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His research focuses on developing sustainable foam fractionation technologies for recovering and concentrating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from wastewater. His work investigates how foam physics, surface chemistry, and process optimisation can improve PFAS enrichment while reducing waste volumes for downstream destruction. Before joining the University of Melbourne, Habib obtained a First-Class Honours degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Ghana. He is passionate about translating fundamental research into practical solutions for water and wastewater treatment and environmental sustainability.
Vahid Alimohammadi is a final-year PhD candidate in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW Sydney, based at the Water Research Centre. His research focuses on PFAS treatment and remediation in water systems, particularly adsorption and electrochemical degradation using commercial granular activated carbon (GAC)-based materials. His work integrates laboratory experiments, advanced analytical techniques, and treatment-process evaluation to better understand PFAS removal, degradation, and destruction pathways. Vahid has experience in targeted and non-targeted PFAS analysis, environmental consulting, and water treatment systems. At the Emerging Contaminants Research Showcase webinar, he will present part of his PhD research on advanced strategies for PFAS degradation.
ALGA Member: FREE
Non-Member: $25.00
Students: FREE
All fees include GST
All fees are in AUD
1 CPD Point
