Oxford EARTH welcomes fifth Research Fellow Dr Fengyi Zhu
Oxford EARTH is delighted to welcome the fifth member of its Research Fellow team, completing the group first introduced earlier this year.
Dr Fengyi Zhu
Department of Engineering Science
Fengyi is an environmental biotechnologist whose research explores how microorganisms and their metabolic processes can support more sustainable approaches to resource recovery. Her previous research has focused on biologically mediated phosphorus recovery from marine sediments, alongside broader work in microbial biotechnology.
As part of Oxford EARTH, Fengyi will investigate how microbial communities can be harnessed and engineered to support the selective recovery of critical metals from industrial waste and other secondary resources. Combining microbiological, geochemical and mineralogical approaches, she will explore how different microbial systems transform metals and form minerals, with the longer-term aim of developing efficient and scalable biological processes for resource recovery.
With Fengyi joining the programme, the Research Fellow team’s expertise now spans critical mineral recovery, environmental biotechnology, biodiversity, environmental justice and carbon capture, further strengthening the range of perspectives contributing to Oxford EARTH’s work on sustainable and equitable natural resource management.
Find out more about Oxford EARTH’s other Research Fellows
and their work here.
