Rate My Professor Phillip Geary

Phillip Geary is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds a PhD from Western Sydney University, awarded for his thesis 'On-site System Effluent Source Tracking Using Geochemical and Microbial Tracers in a Coastal Catchment,' along with a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Diploma in Education from the University of Newcastle. Geary taught Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Newcastle from 1990 to 2017, during which he served as Head of Discipline of Earth Sciences from 2006 to 2009 and Assistant Dean (International) for the Faculty of Science from 2011 to 2014. Following retirement from the teaching program, he continues involvement in research projects and consulting assignments focused on environmental challenges.

Geary's academic interests center on the performance of small-scale on-site wastewater systems, land application of domestic and agricultural wastewaters, and tracing the movement and fate of contaminants in water, soil, and groundwater. His research employs methods such as faecal sterol analysis, bacterial source tracking, and geochemical tracers to address pollution source tracking, constructed wetlands performance, water quality impacts on estuarine aquaculture, and geotechnical aspects of effluent disposal. Key publications include the book Advances in Environmental Management in the Hunter Region (2000, co-authored with J.H. Whitehead and R.W. Kidd), chapters 'Water and Wastewater Systems' (2000, with W.E.J. Paradice) and 'Rivers, lakes and wetlands' (2000, with R.J. Loughran and B.V. Timms), and highly cited works such as 'Evaluating potential applications of faecal sterols in distinguishing sources of faecal contamination from mixed faecal samples' (2007, V.G. Shah et al., 152 citations), 'The impact of biomass harvesting on phosphorus uptake by wetland plants' (2001, S.Y. Kim and P.M. Geary, 144 citations), 'Suitability of a treatment wetland for dairy wastewaters' (1999, 84 citations), and 'Comparative bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by biostimulation, bioaugmentation and surfactant addition' (2012, 77 citations). With over 58 conference outputs, his contributions underscore advancements in environmental science, hydrology, soil science, and wastewater management.