Rate My Professor Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson is Assistant Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi and Associated Faculty with the Civil and Urban Engineering Department at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He earned a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Sheffield before pursuing a PhD at the University of Nottingham, where his doctoral research investigated the dissociation of peptide structures using advanced biophysical techniques. His academic career has focused on bridging biochemistry and engineering to address challenges in water treatment and membrane processes.

Johnson's research specializations encompass advanced water and wastewater treatment processes, membrane technology, fouling and biofouling mechanisms, surface interaction forces, and colloid and interface science. He employs atomic force microscopy and nanoscale characterization to study membranes and surfaces, developing innovative strategies to mitigate fouling and enhance performance across nano to meso-scales. As Co-Principal Investigator and Team Leader in Civil and Urban Engineering at the NYU Abu Dhabi Water Research Center, he contributes to sustainable water solutions tailored to arid regions. His work integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to improve polymer membranes for desalination, dewatering, and pollutant removal.

Johnson has authored numerous influential publications in leading journals. Key works include 'Membrane desalination and water re-use for agriculture: State of the art and future outlook' (Desalination, 2020, co-authored with Wafa Suwaileh and Nidal Hilal), 'Can graphene and graphene oxide materials revolutionise desalination processes?' (Desalination, 2020, with Nidal Hilal), 'The role of wastewater treatment plants as tools for SARS-CoV-2 early detection and removal' (Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2020, with Alain Lesimple, Saad Y. Jasim, and Nidal Hilal), 'Dewatering of POME digestate using lignosulfonate driven forward osmosis' (Separation and Purification Technology, 2020, with Ang Wei Lun, Abdul Wahab Mohammed, and Nidal Hilal), and 'State of the art review on membrane surface characterisation: Visualisation, verification and quantification of membrane properties' (Desalination, 2018, with D.L. Oatley-Radcliffe and Nidal Hilal). These contributions advance membrane-based technologies for industrial and environmental applications.