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Curriculum Vitae

Personal Information

Hyung-Sool Lee

Associate Professor, BP, ERA, EREA

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Waterloo
Telephone 519-888-4567 ext 31095
E-mail: hyungsool@uwaterloo.ca
Website: https://uwaterloo.ca/waterloo-environmental-biotechnology-lab/

Research Interest

Resource recovery from waste and wastewater, bioelectrochemistry, microbial ecology, anaerobic oxidation of methane, denitrification, biofilms, and biosensors

Education

  • Ph. D., Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, 2005-2009
  • M.S. Environmental Engineering, Inha University, South Korea, 1998-2000
  • B.S. Environmental Engineering, Inha University, South Korea, 1994-1998

Adwards and Recognitions

  • Early Researcher Award (ERA), 2016.
  • Engineering Research Excellence Award (EREA), 2016
  • Adjunct professor in Yonsei University, South Korea (2014 to present)
  • Guest Editor to Bioresource Technology: Special Issue “Microbial Fuel Cells”, 2015.
  • Invited speaker for International Society for Microbial Electrochemical Technologies, Tempe, AZ, US, October 2015
  • Session Organizer and Program Chair for “Sustainable wastewater treatment” American Chemical Society, Boston, US, August 2015. 
  • Invited speaker for IWA conference on Resource Recovery from Organic Waste and Wastewater, Harbin, China, 2014. 
  • Invited speaker for IWA Regional Conference on Water Reuse and Energy, Daegu, Korea, 2014.
  • Conference Chair for the 2nd International Waterloo Conference of Sustainable Wastewater Treatment, Waterloo, Canada, Feb 2014.
  • Brain Pool Fellow, 2014. 
  • Invited speaker for International Conference on Resource Recovery from organic waste and wastewater, Seoul, Korea, 2013.
  • Conference Chair for 1st International Waterloo Conference of Sustainable Wastewater Treatment, Waterloo, Canada, August 2012.
  • Session Organizer and Program Chair for Bioelectrochemical Cells in 243rd American Chemical Society, San Diego, US, March 2012. 
  • Program Chair for Advances in Wastewater Treatment. 46th Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research, Burlington, Canada, Feb 2011.
  • Session Organizer and Program Chair for Microbial Fuel/Electrolysis Cells in 241th American Chemical Society, Anaheim, US, March 2011. 
  • Session Organizer and Program Chair for Microbial Bioelectrochemical systems in 3rd World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology, Dalian, China, 2010
  • Scientific Board Member in 3rd World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology, Dalian, China, 2010.
  • Keynote speaker in the Second International Microbial Fuel Cell, GIST, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, 2009.
  • The best paper award in Research in Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Symposium at Arizona State University, 2008.
  • Fellowship, Korean-American Scholarship Foundation, 2005.
  • Fellowship, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, 2005.
  • The Prime Minister Award, The development of innovative technology, Republic of Korea, 2005.

Employment History

  • Associate Professor, University of Waterloo, 2017-present
  • Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo, 2010 – 2017 (parental leave for a year)
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 2009-2010
  • Research Associate, Regional Research Center for Coastal Environments of Yellow Sea, Inha University, 2000-2005

Patents

  1. H.S. Lee, B.E. Rittmann, S. Choi, J.S. Chae. Micro-sized Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). Patent US8734968B2 (2014). 
  2. H.S. Lee, C.I. Torres, B.E. Rittmann. Bicarbonate and carbonate as hydroxide carriers in the biological fuel cell. Patent US9142852B2 (2015).  
  3. H.S. Lee, C.I. Torres, A.G. Delgado, R.F. Halden, R. Krajmalnik-Brown, B.E. Rittmann. Methods and Systems for Reduction of Halogenated Compounds. WO2011112540A2 (2011). 
  4. H.S. Lee, C.I. Torres, B.E. Rittmann. Microbial electrolysis cell. WO2010117864A1 (2009). 

Research Funding (~$ 3M)

  • Energy-saving and -positive domestic wastewater treatment for northern and rural communities. NSERC SPG submitted in 2018. 
  • Development of disruptive anaerobic technologies for waste diversion and resource recovery. Ontario Research Fund-Research Excellence submitted in 2017. 
  • Korea-Canada International Collaboration Grant for Network $30,000/year (2017)
  • International collaboration grant with Korean Institute of Energy Research $150,000/year(2016)
  • Sustainable wastewater treatment, NSERC DG $155,000 (2016-2021)
  • Development of new sensors for BOD and E. coli in water. NSERC CRD $125,000 (2016-2018).
  • Early Researcher Award, $190,000 (2016-2021)
  • Innovative technologies controlling dissolved methane and nitrogen in anaerobic wastewater treatment, NSERC SPG, $567,300 (2015-2018)
  • Innovative technologies for controlling dissolved methane and nitrogen in anaerobic wastewater treatment/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2015)
  • International Research Partnership Grant / University of Waterloo, $20,000 (2015)
  • Development of BOD sensor using microbial fuel cells/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2015)
  • International Research Partnership Grant / University of Waterloo, $20,000 (2014)
  • Impact of Lystek Addition on Resource Recovery from Municipal Biosolids in a Novel Three-stage Anaerobic System/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2014)
  • Optimization of a biological process treating winery wastewater: anaerobic digestion integrated with Waterloo Biofilter/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2014)
  • Integrated Sorption Technologies for Recovery of Nitrogen and Phosphorous from Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Permeates/Canadian Water Network, co-PI, $200,000 (2013-2015)
  • CO2 conversion to methane gas using microbial electrochemical cells/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2013)
  • Synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from organic wastewaters using microbial fuel cells/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2013)/Ontario Ministry of Economy and Development Innovation, $750,000  (2012-2014)
  • Development of microbial electrochemical cells for hydrogen production and autotrophic denitrification/NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2012)
  • The production of biochemicals from organic wastewater using biocathode microbial electrochemical cells/Canadian Foundation for Innovation, $150,000 (2012)
  • Clean Technologies for Water Refining and Nutrient and Energy Recovery/NSERC CREATE, co-PI, $1,650,000 (2012-2017)
  • Evaluation of an emerging aeration and mixing technology for potential energy savings in biological treatment of wastewater/FedDev $50,000 (2012)
  • Ammonium Nitrogen Removal from Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor / NSERC Engage, $25,000 (2011)
  • Energy recovery from food industry wastewater using microbial electrochemical cells and anaerobic membrane bioreactor/ NSERC CRD, $140,000 (2011)
  • International Research Partnership Grant / University of Waterloo, $20,000 (2011)
  • Recovering the energy in municipal wastewater with membrane centered processes/Canadian Water Network, co-PI, $500,000 (2011-2013)
  • Development of Energy-efficient Wastewater Treatment Technology Using Principles of Microbial Fuel/Electrolysis Cells/NSERC DG, $120,000 (2011-2015)
  • Characterization of electrode-respiring bacteria in microbial electrochemical systems/NSERC RTI, $75,000 (2011)

Student Supervision

: 6 postdocs, 6 PhD students, 9 master students

- Abid Hussain, NSERC postdoc fellow (2016-2018), tenured-track assistant professor in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
- Elsayed Elelbeshbishy, NSERC postdoc fellow (2013-2015), tenured-track assistant professor, Ryerson University, Canada 
- Bipro Dhar, PhD student (2012-2016), tenured-track assistant professor, University of Alberta, Canada
- Dan Cui, PhD student, co-supervision (2012-2016), tenured-track assistant professor, Beijing University of Technology, China

- Junyeoung An, postdoc (2012-2014), principal scientist in Korea Environment Institute
- Weiwei Du, postdoc (2010-2011), principal scientist in EnvironSim Ltd, Canada
- Wudneh Shewa, postdoc (2017), Research Associate in University of Western Ontario, Canada
- Yaohuan Gao, PhD (2011-2015), postdoc in Dalhousie University, Canada
- Mr. Sim, master (2012-2014), engineer in Samsung Engineering, Canada
- Mr. Galib, master (2012-2014), engineer in City of Guelph, Canada
- Mr. Yeo, master (2011-2013), engineer in GreenField Ethanol, Canada 
- Mr. Reid, master (2015-2017), engineer in GHD, Canada

Teaching

  • ENVE 276: Environmental Biology and Biotechnology
  • ENVE 275: Environmental Chemistry 
  • ENVE 375: Water Quality Engineering 
  • CIVE 671: Aquatic Chemistry 
  • CIVE 770: Special topic “Advanced wastewater treatment”

Services

  • Department research committee, 2017 
  • Teaching grid committee, 2015-present 
  • Engineering Faculty Council, University of Waterloo, 2012-2014
  • Engineering Representation on the Environment Faculty Council, University of Waterloo, 2012-2014
  • Health and Safety Committee for Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 
  • University of Waterloo, 2013-2015
  • Development of MOU between Water Institute of University of Waterloo and Harbin Institute of Technology, 2014
  • Development of MOU between Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in University of Waterloo and Department of Civil Engineering Yonsei University, 2012

Memberships

  • American Chemical Society 
  • International Water Association 
  • Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professor 
  • Canadian Association of Water Quality 
  • Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy 
  • Korean Society for Environmental Engineering 

Peer-review Service

  • Environmental Science and Technology
  • Water Research
  • Bioresource Technology
  • Scientific Reports
  • ChemSusChem
  • Biotechnology and Bioengineering
  • Applied Environmental Microbiology
  • Chemical Engineering Journal
  • RSC Advances
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 
  • Environmental Technology
  • Enzyme and Microbial Technology
  • International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Grant-review Services

  • NSERC 
  • Canada Foundation for Innovation 
  • NSF, USA

Interview and Media Relations

  • Daily Commercial News. Is there energy gold to be mined in sewage processing? December 9, 2013

Invited Lectures/Seminar

  • Resource recovery from organic waste and wastewater: water, energy, and nutrients, Harbin, 2014.
  • Microbial electrochemical cells, Yonsei University, South Korea, 2014. 
  • Understanding dissolved methane in anaerobic wastewater treatment, KIST, South Korea, 2014. 
  • Energy extraction from wet biomass, KIT, 2013. 
  • Implication of anaerobic biotechnologies in sustainable treatment of organic waste and wastewater, Korean Ministry of Agriculture, 2013. 
  • Sustainable biotechnology to treat organic wastes and wastewaters. Invited speech, Brazil Delegation Meeting, the University of Waterloo. March 12, 2012
  • Nitrogen Control Using Natural Zeolite Ion Exchange Column and Zeolite-Based Biofilter in Permeates of Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBRs), GE Water and Process Technologies, Dundas, Canada, 2012.
  • Microbial electrochemical cells: fundamentals and applications. Trojan Technology, London, March 2012.
  • Recovery of value-added products from waste biomass using advanced biotechnologies. Advisory council meeting in WISE, May, 2012.
  • Special seminar for nitrogen recovering technologies, GE Water and Process Technologies, Dundas, Canada, 2011.
  • Invited Speech, Anaerobic wastewater treatment technologies: Production of value-added products. Frito-Lay Cambridge Net Zero Seminar, University of Waterloo, 2011.
     
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