Overview
Background
Professor Kevin Thomas is Director of the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS). Kevin is an environmental health scientist with a particular interest in understanding the environmental exposures associated with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) with the goal of protecting environmental and human health. Kevin also leads the Minderoo Centre- Plastics and Human Health at UQ and is Deputy-Director of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Hyphenated Analytical Separation Technologies (HyTech).
His current research is focused on understanding human exposure to plastics pollution and developing mass spectrometric analytical methods for characterizing plastics and other CECs, assessing community-wide health status through analysing wastewater (wastewater-based epidemiology) and establishing alternative approaches to exposure monitoring, for example explanted silicone prostheses and wristbands.
Author of over 300 peer-reviewed papers and Associate Editor for the journal Science of the Total Environment, Kevin is a strong collaborative researcher having founded the international SCORE network on sewer biomarker analysis for community health assessment (see www.score-network.eu) and together with colleagues has recently launched InSpectra- A platform for identifying emerging chemical threats.
Availability
- Professor Kevin Thomas is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Plymouth University
- Doctoral Diploma of Science (Advanced), Plymouth University
Works
Search Professor Kevin Thomas’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Occurrence and fate of glyphosate and AMPA in wastewater treatment plants in Australia
Campbell, Garth, Tscharke, Ben J., Prasad, Pritesh, Knight, Emma R., Reeks, Tim, Jackson, Aiko, Thomas, Kevin V., Mueller, Jochen F. and Kaserzon, Sarit L. (2025). Occurrence and fate of glyphosate and AMPA in wastewater treatment plants in Australia. Science of The Total Environment, 969 178964, 178964. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178964
2025
Journal Article
Are microplastics bad for your health? More rigorous science is needed
Xu, Jun-Li, Wright, Stephanie, Rauert, Cassandra and Thomas, Kevin V. (2025). Are microplastics bad for your health? More rigorous science is needed. Nature, 639 (8054), 300-302. doi: 10.1038/d41586-025-00702-2
2025
Journal Article
Accumulation, translocation and transformation of artificial sweeteners in plants: a critical review
Li, Dandan, Xing, Yeye, Li, Li, Yao, Yiming, Li, Yongcheng, Zhu, Hongkai, Du, Peng, Wang, Fang, Yu, Dayang, Yang, Fang, Yao, Zhiliang and Thomas, Kevin V. (2025). Accumulation, translocation and transformation of artificial sweeteners in plants: a critical review. Environmental Pollution, 366 125517, 125517. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125517
2025
Journal Article
Assessing the efficacy of pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for nanoplastic and microplastic analysis in human blood
Rauert, Cassandra, Charlton, Nathan, Bagley, Angus, Dunlop, Sarah A., Symeonides, Christos and Thomas, Kevin V. (2025). Assessing the efficacy of pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for nanoplastic and microplastic analysis in human blood. Environmental Science and Technology, 59 (4), 1984-1994. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.4c12599
2024
Journal Article
New trends in the environmental analysis of pollutants
de Alda, Miren Lopez, Richardson, Susan D., Thomas, Kevin V. and Thomaidis, Nikolaos S. (2024). New trends in the environmental analysis of pollutants. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 417 (3), 447-449. doi: 10.1007/s00216-024-05695-x
2024
Journal Article
National survey of the occurrence of antimicrobial agents in Australian wastewater and their socioeconomic correlates
Li, Jinglong, O’Brien, Jake W., Tscharke, Benjamin J., He, Chang, Shimko, Katja M., Shao, Xueting, Zhai, Naixiang, Mueller, Jochen F. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2024). National survey of the occurrence of antimicrobial agents in Australian wastewater and their socioeconomic correlates. Nature Water, 2 (12) 140587, 1166-1177. doi: 10.1038/s44221-024-00349-9
2024
Journal Article
Evidence of time dependent degradation of polypropylene surgical mesh explanted from the abdomen and vagina of sheep
Farr, Nicholas T. H., Gregory, David A., Workman, Victoria L., Rauert, Cassandra, Roman, Sabiniano, Knight, Alexander J., Bullock, Anthony J., Tartakovskii, Alexander I., Thomas, Kevin V., Chapple, Christopher R., Deprest, Jan, MacNeil, Sheila and Rodenburg, Cornelia (2024). Evidence of time dependent degradation of polypropylene surgical mesh explanted from the abdomen and vagina of sheep. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 160 106722, 1-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106722
2024
Journal Article
Wastewater‐based evaluation of the efficacy of oxycodone regulations in Australia
Verhagen, Rory, Gerber, Cobus, Thai, Phong K., Connor, Jason, Loveday, Bill, Bade, Richard, O'Brien, Jake, Jaunay, Emma L., Simpson, Bradley S., Chan, Gary, Hall, Wayne, Thomas, Kevin V., Mueller, Jochen F. and Tscharke, Benjamin J. (2024). Wastewater‐based evaluation of the efficacy of oxycodone regulations in Australia. Addiction, 119 (12), 2153-2161. doi: 10.1111/add.16653
2024
Journal Article
Effect-based water quality assessment in an urban tributary under base flow and storm conditions
Rauert, Cassandra, König, Maria, Neale, Peta A., Thomas, Kevin V. and Escher, Beate I. (2024). Effect-based water quality assessment in an urban tributary under base flow and storm conditions. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 11 (12), 1314-1320. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00866
2024
Journal Article
Unscrambling why plastics aren't detectable in chicken eggs
Tariq, Anum, Okoffo, Elvis D., Fenti, Angelo, Fu, Hongrui and Thomas, Kevin V. (2024). Unscrambling why plastics aren't detectable in chicken eggs. Chemosphere, 367 143584, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143584
2024
Journal Article
Occurrence of ultrashort-chain PFASs in Australian environmental water samples
Ghorbani Gorji, Sara, Mackie, Rachel, Prasad, Pritesh, Knight, Emma R., Qu, Xuan, Vardy, Suzanne, Bowles, Karl, Higgins, Christopher P., Thomas, Kevin V. and Kaserzon, Sarit L. (2024). Occurrence of ultrashort-chain PFASs in Australian environmental water samples. Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 11 (12), 1362-1369. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00750
2024
Journal Article
How do plastics, including microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals, affect human health?
Seewoo, Bhedita J., Goodes, Louise M., Thomas, Kevin V., Rauert, Cassandra, Elagali, Ahmed, Ponsonby, Anne-Louise, Symeonides, Christos and Dunlop, Sarah A. (2024). How do plastics, including microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals, affect human health?. Nature Medicine, 30 (11), 3036-3037. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03287-x
2024
Journal Article
Plastic deposition in sediments of Moreton Bay, Australia: a historical perspective and potential future projections
Yenney, Emma, Okoffo, Elvis D., Tscharke, Ben J., Grinham, Alistair, Bostock, Helen C. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2024). Plastic deposition in sediments of Moreton Bay, Australia: a historical perspective and potential future projections. ACS ES&T Water, 4 (10), 4510-4520. doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c00536
2024
Journal Article
Fluoropolymer sorbent for efficient and selective capturing of per- and polyfluorinated compounds
Yang, Zhuojing, Zhu, Yutong, Tan, Xiao, Gunjal, Samruddhi Jayendra Jayendra, Dewapriya, Pradeep, Wang, Yiqing, Xin, Ruijing, Fu, Changkui, Liu, Kehan, Macintosh, Katie, Sprague, Lee G., Leung, Lam, Hopkins, Timothy E., Thomas, Kevin V., Guo, Jianhua, Whittaker, Andrew K. and Zhang, Cheng (2024). Fluoropolymer sorbent for efficient and selective capturing of per- and polyfluorinated compounds. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 8269, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52690-y
2024
Journal Article
Plastic pollution and health metrics in wild juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from two Ecuadorian national parks: Galápagos and Machalilla
Muñoz-Pérez, Juan Pablo, Lewbart, Gregory A., Toapanta, Tania, Chadwick, Helen, Okoffo, Elvis D., Alarcón-Ruales, Daniela, Zurita-Arthos, Leo, Jones, Jen S., Cisneros, Fernando, Moreira-Mendieta, Andres, Vintimilla-Palacios, Cristina, Miranda, Cristina, Vallejo, Felipe, Houck, Emma, Alemán, Rubén, Escobar-Flores, Kamila, Skehel, Alice, Castañeda, Jason, Secoura, Patricia, Vaden, Shelly, Lewis, Ceri, Galloway, Tamara, Wallace, Bryan, Godley, Brendan J., Cole, Matthew, Lindeque, Penelope, Thomas, Kevin V., Potvin, Dominique A., Valle, Carlos A. and Townsend, Kathy A. (2024). Plastic pollution and health metrics in wild juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from two Ecuadorian national parks: Galápagos and Machalilla. Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science, 2 1439512, 1-30. doi: 10.3389/famrs.2024.1439512
2024
Journal Article
Preparation of polystyrene microplastic particles by solvent-dissolution-precipitation
Karanam, Kavitha, Okoffo, Elvis D., Shukla, Pradeep, Thomas, Kevin.V. and Rudolph, Victor (2024). Preparation of polystyrene microplastic particles by solvent-dissolution-precipitation. Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment, 7 100144, 100144. doi: 10.1016/j.scenv.2024.100144
2024
Journal Article
High throughput and sensitive quantitation of tobacco-specific alkaloids and nitrosamines in wastewater
Wang, Zhe, Zheng, Qiuda, Tscharke, Benjamin J., Li, Jinglong, O'Brien, Jake W., Patterson, Brad, Zhao, Zeyang, Thomas, Kevin V., Mueller, Jochen F. and Thai, Phong K. (2024). High throughput and sensitive quantitation of tobacco-specific alkaloids and nitrosamines in wastewater. Talanta, 277 126401, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126401
2024
Journal Article
Exploring the chemical subspace of RPLC: a data driven approach
van Herwerden, Denice, Nikolopoulos, Alexandros, Barron, Leon P., O’Brien, Jake W., Pirok, Bob W.J., Thomas, Kevin V. and Samanipour, Saer (2024). Exploring the chemical subspace of RPLC: a data driven approach. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1317 342869, 342869. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.342869
2024
Journal Article
Limited exposure of captive Australian marsupials to plastics
Okoffo, Elvis D., Lu, Wei-Cheng, Yenney, Emma and Thomas, Kevin V. (2024). Limited exposure of captive Australian marsupials to plastics. Science of The Total Environment, 930 172716, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172716
2024
Journal Article
Exploring the chemical space of the exposome: how far have we gone?
Samanipour, Saer, Barron, Leon Patrick, van Herwerden, Denice, Praetorius, Antonia, Thomas, Kevin V. and O’Brien, Jake William (2024). Exploring the chemical space of the exposome: how far have we gone?. JACS Au, 4 (7), 2412-2425. doi: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00220
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Kevin Thomas is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Innovative Analytical Techniques for Detecting and Quantifying Oligomers in Environmental Matrices
Project summary: Develop and validate advanced analytical methods for the detection, identification, and quantification of oligomers in various environmental matrices.
-
Available projects for prospective PhD students
Projects are available around four broad themes.
- Assessing the environmental plastics cycle with a focus on human exposure.
- Assessing community-wide health status through wastewater-based epidemiology.
- Alternative matrices for exposure monitoring. For example explanted silicone prostheses and wristbands.
- Analytical methods for the characterization of contaminants of emerging concern (target/suspect-screening/non-target analysis).
Project specific opportunities are advertised on our centre website
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Cross regional comparison of emerging contaminants in urban catchments
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluating degradation levels and their potential impact on the quantification of microplastics in the environment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Whittaker, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastics pollution in water systems: Issues and Treatment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing dietary exposure to plastics and associated chemicals
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
PM2.5 and plastics pollution in Delhi: Sources, characterization and atmospheric transport modeling
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding emerging contaminants and metabolomic responses in Australian seabird species
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Fisher Wang
-
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing microplastic inputs from ships
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
DETERMINATION OF MICRO AND NANOPLASTICS IN BREAST MILK, BLOOD AND MECONIUM SAMPLES FROM MOTHERS-INFANTS IN AUSTRALIA
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
The fate of plastics in soils
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
The suitability of wastewater-based epidemiology for AMR surveillance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Human exposure and fate of micro/nanoplastics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert, Dr Taskeen Janjua Khan
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Specialised Hyphenated Methodologies for Quantifying New Halogenated Plastic Materials
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Non-Targeted High-Resolution Mass Spectrometric Characterisation of Highly Mobile and Highly Persistent Chemicals
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassandra Rauert, Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Emerging contaminants in Food Contact Materials, analysis policy and regulation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Human exposure and accumulation of plastics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation and Quantification of Nanoplastics in the Environment Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Emerging contaminants in Food Organics and Garden Organic (FOGO) materials
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Reducing glyphosate exposure from high use practices
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Fisher Wang, Professor Bhagirath Chauhan, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Developing the framework for a national wastewater antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use surveillance method
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Investigation of the inflammatory response of human cells to silica dust exposure
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianhua Guo, Dr Jake O'Brien
Completed supervision
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring antimicrobial resistance in Australian wastewater
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Professor Jianhua Guo
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastics in the air: Working towards understanding micro plastics in the atmospheric environment, the plastic exposome and human respiratory exposure
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Fisher Wang, Dr Cassandra Rauert
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Antibiotics and other chemicals that select for antimicrobial resistance in Australian wastewater
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Advancing the non-target identification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in environmental samples
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ian Wood, Dr Jake O'Brien, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluating the suitability of wastewater analysis for the detection and monitoring of performance- and image-enhancing drug use
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Assessment of analgesic consumption and the burden of treated pain in Australia using wastewater-based epidemiology
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Assessment of plastic contamination in marine organisms
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
An assessment of plastic residues in Australian biosolids
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Fate and behaviour of neonicotinoids in Australian aquatic environments
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Estimating use of nicotine containing products and evaluating tobacco-related health risks through wastewater analysis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke, Associate Professor Phong Thai
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Improved monitoring of hydrophilic aquatic contaminants.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation and Implementation of Methods to increase Comprehensiveness of Non-Target Analysis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Innovative sampling strategies for improved wastewater-based epidemiology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Ben Tscharke
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
An assessment of alcohol and tobacco consumption by wastewater-based epidemiology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke, Associate Professor Phong Thai
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Firefighters' exposure to potentially toxic combustion products.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Fisher Wang, Professor Jochen Mueller
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Population diet and stress estimates using wastewater based epidemiology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Professor Jochen Mueller
-
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastic pollution: From nanoscale surface interactions to public perceptions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Kevin Thomas directly for media enquiries about:
- Aquatic pollution
- chemical pollution
- Illicit drug monitoring in wastewater
- Microplastics
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