Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Chemical & environmental engineering
  • Membrane separation science and engineering
  • Desalination & water treatment
  • Materials analysis and development
  • Heat and mass transfer modelling

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Mikel Duke

Professor Mikel Duke’s research specialises in innovative materials and applications of membrane technology for resource recovery, sustainable foods processing, and for water and energy savings.

His research has been supported with partnerships and funding from industry through programs from the Australian Research Council (ARC), Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER), Intelligent Water Networks (IWN), Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC), the National Centre of Desalination in Australia (NCEDA), Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCoE), the Victorian Smart Water Fund and the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET).

The various projects with industry and research teams have involved:

  • development of new inorganic and polymeric membrane material properties based on carbon (including nanotubes), silica, alumina, titania, metal organic frameworks, zeolite structures and polyvinylidene difluoride
  • modelling and testing new process concepts for industrial applications based on ceramic, metallic or polymeric membrane filtration, membrane distillation, membrane assisted fermentation, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration
  • exploring and proposing novel mechanisms in membrane diffusion and surface contamination (fouling) for model and real industry wastewaters
  • demonstrating innovative technologies at pilot scale on industrial sites.

Prof Mikel Duke’s prior experiences and recognitions include:

  • working at various labs worldwide the University of Queensland, Johnson Matthey Technology Centre (UK), Arizona State University (USA) and Fudan University (China)
  • Co-editor of the international journal Desalination (2014–present)
  • President of the World Association of Membrane Societies (2020–present)
  • Founding President of the Membrane Society of Australasia (2008–2014), currently Honorary Member
  • ARC College of Experts Panel Member (2015–2018)
  • recipient of the Inaugural Anthony Fane Award for outstanding contributions in membrane science and technology from the Membrane Society of Australasia (2016)
  • Vice-Chancellor's Peak Award for Excellence in Research and Research Training (2010)
  • Endeavour Executive Award, Australian Government (2009)
  • ARC Linkage International Fellowship (2007).

Qualifications

  • PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia, 2004
  • BE (Hons), Environmental Engineering, University of Queensland Australia, 2000

Key publications

Year Citation
2022 Nyamutswa, L. T., Collins, S. F., Navaratna, D., & Duke, M. C. (221201). Concept Demonstration and Future Developments of Sunlight Transmitting Nanophotocatalyst-Coated Substrates for Sustainable Low Pressure Water Filtration (pp. 419-457).

doi: 10.1142/9789811253829_0013

Year Citation
2025 Kozlowsky-Suzuki, B., Pereira, L. G., Yeager, T., Marinho, M. M., & Duke, M. (250401). The potential for cyanobiogas as a viable circular option in strategies for managing harmful and nuisance cyanobacterial blooms. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(2),

doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2025.116101

2024 Sanciolo, P., Moriguchi, K., Dow, N., Sidiroglou, F., Yoshioka, T., Nakagawa, K., & Duke, M. (240901). Rapid phenol mineralisation in a low-pressure dead-end light transmitting photocatalytic membrane reactor (LT-PMR). Journal of Water Process Engineering, 66

doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.106018

2024 Nadimi, M., Shahrooz, M., Wang, R., Yang, X., & Duke, M. C. (240315). Process intensification with reactive membrane distillation: A review of hybrid and integrated processes. Desalination, 573

doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2023.117182

2024 Muttil, N., Jagadeesan, S., Chanda, A., Duke, M., & Kumar, Singh. (240101). Characterisation of activated carbon derived from carbon black produced by the pyrolysis of waste tyres. Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies, 10(4), (2957-2967).

doi: 10.1080/2374068X.2023.2192327

2023 Mahbub, P., & Duke, M. (231101). Scalability of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in industrial applications: A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 345

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118861

2023 Muttil, N., Jagadeesan, S., Chanda, A., Duke, M., & Singh, S. K. (230101). Production, Types, and Applications of Activated Carbon Derived from Waste Tyres: An Overview. Applied Sciences Switzerland, 13(1),

doi: 10.3390/app13010257

2022 Sanciolo, P., Rivera, E., Navaratna, D., & Duke, M. C. (220601). Food Waste Diversion from Landfills: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Existing Technological Solutions Based on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Sustainability Switzerland, 14(11),

doi: 10.3390/su14116753

2022 Dow, N., Saldin, T. F., Duke, M., & Yang, X. (220601). Pilot demonstration of nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater by vacuum membrane distillation. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 47

doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.102726

2021 Muster-Slawitsch, B., Dow, N., Desai, D., Pinches, D., Brunner, C., & Duke, M. (211201). Membrane distillation for concentration of protein-rich waste water from meat processing. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 44

doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.102285

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE)
From: Parkway Corporate Limited, University of Technology Sydney
For period: 2022-2026
$900,000
Collaborative Water Research knowledge exchange between Victoria University (Australia) and Tropical Water Research Alliance (Brazil)
From: COALAR
Other investigators: Dr Daniel Ooi
For period: 2022-2023
$39,428

Next Generation Water Management in the Werribee River Catchment
From: Victorian Higher Education Strategic Investment Fund
Other investigators: Ms Rowena Price, Ms Karen Jackson, Aspr Shobha Muthukumaran, Dr Ashok Sharma, Dr Dimuth Navaratna, Dr Daniel Ooi, Mr Nitin Muttil
For period: 2021-2022
$500,000

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
2 PhD Principal supervisor
2 PhD Associate supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (2) Principal supervisor
PhD (2) Associate supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
4 PhD Associate supervisor
8 PhD Principal supervisor
1 Masters by Research Principal supervisor
3 PhD by Publication Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (4) Associate supervisor
PhD (8) Principal supervisor
Masters by Research (1) Principal supervisor
PhD by Publication (3) Principal supervisor

Key academic roles

Dates Role Department / Organisation
Apr 2007 - Dec 2007
ARC International Linkage Fellow
Arizona State University (USA) and University of Queensland
Nov 2004 - Dec 2005
Research Fellow
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, The University of Queensland
Jan 2006 - Mar 2007
Lecturer
CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development and The University of Queensland
Jan 2008 - Dec 2013
Associate Professor and Deputy Director
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University
Jan 2014 - Dec 2017
Professor and Deputy Director
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University
Jan 2018 - Present
Professorial Research Fellow and Leader of Water and Wastewater Treatment Research
Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University
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Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Apr 2007 -
Dec 2007
ARC International Linkage Fellow
Arizona State University (USA) and University of Queensland
Nov 2004 -
Dec 2005
Research Fellow
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, The University of Queensland
Jan 2006 -
Mar 2007
Lecturer
CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development and The University of Queensland
Jan 2008 -
Dec 2013
Associate Professor and Deputy Director
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University
Jan 2014 -
Dec 2017
Professor and Deputy Director
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University
Jan 2018 -
Present
Professorial Research Fellow and Leader of Water and Wastewater Treatment Research
Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University
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Key industry, community & government roles

Dates Role Department/Organisation
Jan 2009 - May 2014
President
Membrane Society of Australasia
Jan 2016 - Dec 2018
College of Experts Panel Member
Australian Research Council
Jun 2020 - Jun 2023
President
World Association of Membrane Societies (WA-MS)
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Jan 2009 - May 2014
President
Membrane Society of Australasia
Jan 2016 - Dec 2018
College of Experts Panel Member
Australian Research Council
Jun 2020 - Jun 2023
President
World Association of Membrane Societies (WA-MS)

Awards

Year Award
2007

Linkage International Fellowship - Australian Research Council

2010

Vice Chancellors Peak Award for Excellence in Research and Research Training - Victoria University

2016

Anthony Fane Award for Outstanding Contributions in Membrane Science and Technology - Membrane Society of Australasia

Keynote and invited speeches

Year Title/Description
2015

Inorganic membranes for sustainable water and foods processing

Plenary Speaker. The 9th Conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS9), July 19-21, 2015, Taipei, Taiwan,

2014

PVDF/Inorganic Composite Membranes for Improving Physical Durability in Water Treatment

Keynote Speaker: 10th International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Progresses (ICOM 2014), July 20-25, 2014, Suzhou, China

2019

Membrane technologies for supply of healthy water

Keynote Speaker: 24th International Forestry and Environment Symposium: Frontiers in Eco- Innovation and Sustainability, October 11-12, 2019, Negombo, Sri Lanka

2016

Membrane bioreactors for water treatment and foods applications

Keynote Speaker: International Conference on Translational Biotechnology (BioSangam 2016), February 4-6, 2016, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad (MNNIT), Uttar Pradesh, India,

2019

User enhanced membrane functions by external stimuli from magnetic fields, light and temperature

Keynote Speaker: International Membrane Conference in Taiwan 2019 暨2019年台灣薄膜學會年會, June 28-29, 2019, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

2021

More than pressure: enhancing the operation of membrane films using light as an external stimuli

Invited Speaker: 5th International Conference on Desalination using Membrane Technology, November 14-17 , 2021, Live and On-demand

2018

Recovering value from wastewater using novel membrane materials and processes

Invited Speaker: 6th IWA Regional Membrane Technology Conference (IWA-RMTC), December 10-12, 2018, Vadodara, Gujarat State, India

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Professional memberships

  • Member, Engineers Australia