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Dr Naras Hanumanth Rao has returned to the AOM Lab as a DECRA Fellow after completing a prestigious Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Fellowship at KU Leuven in Belgium. Naras is no stranger to ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç as he completed both his PhD and Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the AOM Lab, and his return brings a wealth of international experience and momentum to our research efforts.

Over the past three years, Naras has built a strong international research profile working at the intersection of nanoparticle science, environmental engineering, and water treatment. During his time in Europe, he was embedded in leading labs across KU Leuven and other partner institutions through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program. His Marie Curie Fellowship focused on developing advanced nanomaterials for biotechnology and environmental remediation, with a particular emphasis on algae harvesting and remediating waters impacted by harmful algal blooms (HABs). He worked closely with interdisciplinary teams of Profs Koenraad Muylaert and Wim Thielemans spanning microbiology, chemistry, and process engineering, gaining hands-on experience with advanced characterisation tools and scalable water treatment technologies.

Now back at ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç with a highly competitive ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), Naras is leading a new project that tackles a major challenge in the management of toxic cyanobacterial blooms: how conventional flocculants may damage algal cells and trigger the release of intracellular toxins like microcystins. These toxins pose serious risks to drinking water safety and are difficult to remove through downstream treatment processes. Through this DECRA, Naras aims to uncover the mechanisms by which chemical coagulants and flocculants interact with cyanobacterial membranes causing stress, rupture, or other unintended cellular responses.

This DECRA project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr Cecile Formosa-Dague at INSA Toulouse in France, a leading expert in atomic force microscopy and the nanomechanical characterisation of microbial cells. At ºÚÁÏÍø´óʼÇ, Naras will be working closely with Professors Rita Henderson and Cyrille Boyer, who bring expertise in water process engineering and polymer chemistry and nanomaterials.

Another key project he is leading is also on developing novel, bio-inspired recyclable flocculants for water treatment applications in partnership with Harrison SPARC Ltd. This will be achieved by tuning polymer properties such as charge density, flexibility, and hydrophilicity to optimise interactions at the cell–material interface. The project will involve laboratory studies, field-relevant validation, and advanced microscopy techniques.

Naras’ return strengthens the AOM Lab’s research capability in water quality monitoring, bioprocessing, flocculant development, and algal bloom mitigation. His work sits at the forefront of environmentally responsible water treatment aligning with national priorities for sustainable water security.