Rate My Professor Paul Jensen

Associate Professor Paul Jensen serves as a research leader in anaerobic biotechnology and resource recovery at the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB) within the School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. He earned a Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Queensland. His research specializations encompass anaerobic digestion and co-digestion, industrial and agri-industrial wastewater treatment, energy and resource recovery from waste, characterisation of waste streams and energy potential, bio-reactor design and operation, genome-driven process design, pilot plant and demonstration facilities, and microbial activity and inhibition. Jensen leads projects focused on recovering renewable energy resources and producing bio-fertilizers, bio-plastics, and other high-value products from wastes and low-value raw materials. His multidisciplinary team integrates engineering, biological sciences, modelling, and information processing approaches. ACWEB is recognised as a national and global authority on biogas and resource recovery technologies.

Jensen contributes to over 12 research and consulting projects each year across municipal, agricultural, animal, and industrial sectors, and has supported major wastewater infrastructure projects in the past five years. He currently holds funding from the ARC Training Centre in Bioplastics and Biocomposites (2022-2027), alongside past grants on topics including anaerobic co-digestion, sludge management, waste-to-energy, PFAS removal, and renewable energy from wastewater. His key publications include the book chapter 'Resource Recovery from Water: Principles and Application' (2022), 'Established full-scale applications for energy recovery from water: anaerobic digestion' (2022), 'Anaerobic processes' in Treatise on Water Science (2011), and recent articles such as 'Enhanced anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic paunch waste using potassium hydroxide pre-treatment' (2025, Bioresource Technology), 'Enabling the circular nitrogen economy with organic and organo-mineral fertilisers' (2025, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems), 'Scaffolding development of process engineering drawing skills across an undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum' (2024), 'Effect of alkaline pre-treatment on hydrolysis rate and methane production during anaerobic digestion of paunch solid waste' (2023, Waste Management), and 'Utilisation of paunch waste as a natural fibre in biocomposites' (2022, Polymers). He has supervised PhD students from 2011 to 2025 and coordinates courses such as Advanced Unit Operations in Water Management. Additionally, he served as editorial contributor for 'Editorial: biological methanation or (bio/syn)-gas upgrading' (2020, Frontiers in Energy Research).