Rate My Professor Ruby Michael

Dr Ruby Michael is a Senior Lecturer in Ecological Engineering in the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University, located at N13 1.30 on the Nathan Campus. She is the Founder and Lead of the Green Infrastructure Research Labs (GIRLS), a multi-disciplinary initiative dedicated to reinstating soil and plant ecosystems into cities, rooftops, former industrial sites, and wastelands through advanced engineering, design, and environmental planning practices. Dr Michael holds a PhD in Engineering and Botany, a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the University of Melbourne. Her academic background supports her specialization in designed soil-plant systems for waste containment, stormwater assets, urban parks, roof gardens, landfill and mine phytocapping, green roofs, green walls, bioretention systems, and constructed wetlands.

Dr Michael's research addresses ecological rehabilitation, green infrastructure, air pollution mitigation via vegetation, soil-plant interactions, revegetation impacts of herbicides and mulch, and urban tree health. She has produced 53 publications garnering over 458 citations, including 'Recycled waste substrates: A systematic review' (2024), 'What Kills Mature Street and Park Trees in Cities? Systematic Quantitative Review of Published Case Studies' (2025), 'Classic Theory of Aerosol Filtration for Application to Urban Green Infrastructure' (2025), 'Phytocap soil density specification for optimum plant water use', 'The effect of substrate compaction on plant water use and the functional stability of bioretention systems', her PhD thesis 'Landfill phytocap development and performance evaluation using Australian native plants' (2010), and 'A Sustainable Approach for Hydraulic Control of Landfills Using Quarry Scalpings and Native Plants' (2007). As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), she mentors sessional staff into academic roles, teaches multi-disciplinary second-year core courses, and supervises PhD students. She collaborates with industry, such as Citygreen-supported PhD scholarships, delivers invited expert presentations, and engages in public outreach on mine rehabilitation, post-cyclone tree recovery, and National Science Week talks on rebuilding soil and plant ecosystems. Her contributions align with UN Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing water and air quality, climate regulation, flood prevention, biodiversity, and community well-being.