Research strengths include: Industrial wastewater treatment; anaerobic digestion; manipulation of the fate of micro-pollutants, pollutant sequestration; bioremediation; risk assessment; sanitation and low-cost water supplies for developing countries; waste stabilisation ponds; constructed wetlands; minewater treatment; carbon neutral initiatives and geothermal energy. Our microbiological research has a strong emphasis on understanding and engineering biological processes using ecological theory, underpinned by leading-edge exploration of molecular techniques (for example fluorescent in situ hybridisation quantitative PCR, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis).