Dr Denys Villa Gomez

Advance Queensland Industry Researc

Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

Senior Lecturer

School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
d.villagomez@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53857

Overview

Denys Villa Gomez holds a joint appointment at the University of Queensland as Senior Lecturer at the School of Civil Engineering and as a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. She obtained her PhD at the world-leading institute’s IHE-Delft/Wageningen University, The Netherlands in 2013. She applies advanced methodologies such as omics approaches and micro spectral tools to develop biotechnology processes that reduce carbon emissions and recover resources from mine waste and wastewater. She is the leader of the key area “Synbio Mining” within the recently created UQ Biosustainability Hub and chief investigator at the ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers cited more than 500 times, and has served as editor and reviewer for leading journals and advisory roles in industry and scientific committees (e.g. International Mine Water Association).

Teaching and Learning:

  • Course coordinator and lecturer for Introduction to Environmental Engineering (CIVL2135)
  • Course coordinator and lecturer for Environmental Phenomena (ENVE3160)
  • Lecturer in Integrated Design for Environmental Management (CIVL4516)
  • Lecturer in Sustainable Built Environment (CIVL4180)

Research Interests

  • Critical metals recovery
  • Bioprocesses enhancing circular economy
  • Pollution prevention and control

Research Impacts

Denys has contributed to expanding the knowledge of engineering approaches and biobased processes for the treatment and management of waste and resource recovery from urban and industrial waste and wastewater. Her research leans on applying biological processes such as biological sulphate reduction for making the treatment of waste more sustainable and economically viable by maximising the efficiency and decreasing the environmental footprint of the operations. This has influenced the field nationally and internationally, as shown in her research metrics, conference invitations as a keynote speaker and as a member of international scientific committees. She is ranked No. 1 in Australia, and No. 11 worldwide in the SciVal topic “acid mine drainage; sulfate-reducing bacteria; sulphate”.

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • This project will deliver engineered microbiomes that seed innovative technologies unlocking the recovery of critical metals. This will place the mining industry in the position to implement circular economy practises during mine closure by creating value from its resources.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Weijma, Jan, Klok, Johannes B.M., Dijkman, Henk, Jansen, Gijs, Sànchez-Andrea, Irene, Buisman, Cees J.N., van Hullebusch, Eric D., Hennebel, Tom, du Laing, Gijs, Cruz, Heidy, Pikaar, Ilje and Villa Gomez, Denys K. (2022). Established technologies for metal recovery from industrial wastewater streams. Resource recovery from water: principles and application. (pp. 295-317) edited by Ilje Pikaar, Jeremy Guest, Ramon Ganigué, Paul Jensen, Korneel Rabaey, Thomas Seviour, John Trimmer, Olaf van der Kolk, Céline Vaneeckhaute and Willy Verstraete. London, United Kingdom: IWA Publishing. doi: 10.2166/9781780409566_0295

  • Walling, Eric, Moerman, Wim, Verstraete, Willy, Villa Gomez, Denys K. and Vaneeckhaute, Céline (2022). Resource recovery from industrial wastewater: what and how much is there?. Resource recovery from water: principles and application. (pp. 21-48) edited by Ilje Pikaar, Jeremy Guest, Ramon Ganigué, Paul Jensen, Korneel Rabaey, Thomas Seviour, John Trimmer, Olaf van der Kolk, Céline Vaneeckhaute and Willy Verstraete. London, United Kingdom: IWA Publishing. doi: 10.2166/9781780409566_0021

  • Liu, Yun, Serrano, Antonio and Villa-Gomez, Denys (2021). Biological treatment of mine-impacted waters on the context of metal recovery. The future of effluent treatment plants: biological treatment systems. (pp. 499-522) edited by Maulin Shah, Susana Rodriguez-Couto and Kavit Mehta. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-822956-9.00026-x

  • Cubero-Cardoso, Juan, Serrano, Antonio, Trujillo-Reyes, Ángeles, K. Villa-Gómez, Denys, Borja, Rafael and Fermoso, Fernando G. (2020). Valorization options of strawberry extrudate agro-waste. A review. Innovation in the food sector through the valorization of food and agro-food by-products [Working Title]. (pp. 1-20) London, United Kingdom: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.93997

  • Villa-Gomez, Denys Kristalia and Lens, Piet N. L. (2017). Metal recovery from industrial and mining wastewaters using sulphate-reducing bioreactors. Sustainable Heavy Metal Remediation: Volume 2: Case studies. (pp. 81-114) edited by Eldon R. Rene, Erkan Sahinkaya, Alison Lewis and Piet Lens. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-61146-4_3

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • This project will deliver engineered microbiomes that seed innovative technologies unlocking the recovery of critical metals. This will place the mining industry in the position to implement circular economy practises during mine closure by creating value from its resources.