Dr Maryam Asachi

Profile

I am a lecturer teaching a range of subjects, including water quality indexes, surface water and groundwater quality assessments, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and water/wastewater treatment processes. My interests lie in developing sustainable methods for urban water management to enhance human life quality, support ecosystem services, and minimize environmental impacts. I also work on topics related to water and granular material characterisation using spectroscopy and chemometric techniques.

I completed my PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering in 2018 under the CHARIOT project, supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) and Procter & Gamble. My research focused on evaluating powder mixing in formulated bulk particulate products. I applied various advanced analytical techniques to assess powder flow properties and investigated promising methods for modifying particle shape to reduce the segregation of minor ingredients in powder mixtures.

At the University of Leeds, I worked as a postdoctoral research fellow on various projects. I was part of the PROSPECT project, a collaboration between the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), the University of Leeds, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Birmingham. The project aimed to integrate novel sensors for in-line measurement and on-line control of complex liquid formulations within a multi-scale processing loop. Subsequently, I worked as a research fellow on the MOLE project, investigating challenges and emerging trends in modelling penetration problems in geotechnical engineering. Before my appointment as a lecturer, I conducted extensive teaching and research on water and soil pollution as a research and teaching fellow.  

Responsibilities

• Module manager for CIVE2250 Sustainable Engineering Solutions
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the School of Civil Engineering

Research interests

I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary research methodologies that integrate information, tools, concepts, and theories from multiple disciplines. My research interests can be categorized into three distinct areas:

1. Water Treatment Technologies and Water Quality Assessment:  I focus on water treatment technologies and the application of multivariate statistical methods for water quality assessment. My work aims to identify pollution sources and quantify their contributions to water quality variations. I am particularly interested in sustainable approaches to urban water management, such as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), and in water/wastewater treatment. Additionally, I explore data-driven and chemometric techniques to interpret large environmental datasets.

2. Advanced Analytical Techniques for Water and Granular Material Characterisation: My research involves implementing state-of-the-art analytical technologies, such as spectroscopic instruments, for efficient characterisation of water and granular materials. I am especially interested in experimental design methodologies, sensory data collection, and data integration to facilitate the measurement of key quality attributes in these research areas.  

3. Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Granular Material Mixtures: My interest in this area includes characterising particle size and shape using various particle characterisation tools, visualizing and quantifying the 3D structure of particles, and employing Discrete Element Methods (DEM) to simulate the behaviour of granular materials.

Qualifications

• PhD degree (Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds)
• BSc degree (Chemical Engineering, Shiraz University)

Student education

I currently teach a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules covering subjects such as sustainability, water/wastewater treatment, and urban water management, across the following programmes:

• MSc in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering
• MSc in Environmental Engineering and Project Management
• MEng and BEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering

In addition, I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students for their individual research projects and dissertations, and I mentor undergraduate personal tutees in their skills development.

Research groups and institutes

• Water, Public Health and Environmental Engineering

Current postgraduate researchers

• Gettie Shiinda