Dr Cynthia Kusin Okoro-Shekwaga

Profile

I obtained a B.Eng in Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria in 2011, funded by the Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (EPNL) Merit scholarship. I obtained my MSc in Environmental Engineering and Project Management at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom (UK), in 2014 as a Commonwealth Scholar and received the award of the best graduating student. I also obtained my PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Leeds, UK in 2019, through the Leeds International Research Scholarship.

I am currently a BBSRC Discovery Fellow at the University of Leeds. My early career as an academic at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria (Graduate Assistant/Assistant Lecturer, since 2012) enabled me to develop a deep knowledge in environmental engineering by undertaking both research and teaching activities. In Nigeria, my research work focussed on assessing emissions from different sanitation systems and landfills, studying the characteristics of waste management systems at multiple stages and estimating their energy recovery potentials. In the UK (2014 - present), my research work has been dedicated to studying systems to produce high grade biomethane fuel from organic wastes using an integrated design of experiment in the built environments (Food waste, PhD at Leeds; 2016 - 2019); and in aquatic environments (Aquatic biomass, postdoctoral position at University of Leeds; 2019-2021); and greenhouse gases emissions from on-site sanitation systems in the Global South (Postdoctoral position at the University of Leeds; 2021-2022). I am a member of the Scientific Committee for the Environmental Biotechnology Network in the UK and a Postdoctoral Representative at the School of Civil Engineering, the University of Leeds (2020 – present).

Responsibilities

• School of Civil Engineering Post Doctoral Representative
• School of Civil Engineering Research Committee member

Research interests

My research interests are in optimising biological processes for energy recovery from organic wastes at local levels in contribution to the reduction of global greenhouse gases emissions. My current project on “Integrated biological approaches for high-grade biomethane vehicle fuel production from food waste” links academia and industry to investigate the integration of biohydrogen and biomethane production from food waste, leading to the production of high grade vehicle fuel that could conveniently replace current fossil-based petrol and diesel fuel, thus, supporting the UK’s Net Zero delivery (Link).

PhD Opportunities

Integrated biological pathways for biohydrogen recovery from food waste (Self funding)

Ammonia recovery/removal from food waste anaerobic digestion liquor for enhanced circular bioeconomy (Self funding)

• Integrated biological approaches for high-grade biomethane vehicle fuel production from food waste
• Powering Uganda's Clean Energy Future: Biomethane Technology and Innovation for Clean Cooling in Rural Uganda (BioCool)