Dr Ling Leng

Dr Ling Leng
2013 MS (Distinction) and 2018 PhD in Environmental Engineering, PolyU;
JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow Awardee 2020-2021;
Research Assistant Professor of CEE at PolyU

My postgraduate studies at CEE was a transformative journey. I still cannot get over how mind-blowing it was that I earned my PhD degree here. During my six years at CEE, I was intrigued by the hidden biochemical prowess of microorganisms and that sparked my interest in microbial process and technology in natural and engineered systems. Despite the uncertainties, failures and ups-and-downs in both research and life, I was privileged to receive tremendous care from CEE’s academics, inspirational insights from talented peers, and most importantly, many memorable and fruitful experiences. Fortunately, what CEE offered goes beyond the simple transfer of knowledge – but the enthusiasm to learn, the support to grow, the humility for knowledge and the meticulousness that drives the spirit of craftsmanship in me.

After graduation, I took the postdoctoral opportunity at University of Hawaii to manage a pilot-scale anaerobic bioreactor (AD) for industrial wastewater treatment to broaden my practical skills. As a researcher in environmental biotechnology, I had the opportunity to work with academics from the university as well as chemists and engineers from a renewable energy company named Pacific Biodiesel. The pilot-scale AD with acclimated anaerobic granules help treat and re-use methanol-contained biodiesel wastewater in situ and generate renewable electricity from biogas in the Hawaiian Islands.

During my PhD study, I took advantage of the research attachment programme to National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan and worked with Dr ‪Takashi Narihiro and Dr Masaru K Nobu, both of whom inspired and enlightened me to become an Environmental Microbiology scholar. To further pursue my research career, I went back to AIST and started my postdoctoral study in Japan from 2019. With a JSPS postdoctoral fellowship, I focused on studying microbial metabolism and evolution for the degradation of artificial contaminants in both the environment and engineered systems. With all the research experiences over 10 years, I feel that the more I learn, the less I know.

We are all evolving to a new chapter of life, so is CEE.