Professor Kevin Thomas
Professor

Kevin Thomas

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 32443

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 350 peer-reviewed papers Kevin is a strong collaborative researcher having co-founded the Plastic Measurement Brains Trust (PMBT).

Availability

Professor Kevin Thomas is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Analytical chemistry Analytical chemistry not elsewhere classified Analytical spectrometry Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Chemical Sciences Environmental Sciences Health Sciences

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Plymouth University
  • Doctoral Diploma of Science (Advanced), Plymouth University

Search Professor Kevin Thomas’s works on UQ eSpace

425 works between 1995 and 2026
All (425) Journal Article (379) Other Outputs (5) Conference Publication (30) Book Chapter (11)

161 - 180 of 425 works

2021

Journal Article

Systematic evaluation of the in-sample stability of selected pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their metabolites in wastewater

Lin, Xialu, Choi, Phil M., Thompson, Jack, Reeks, Timothy, Verhagen, Rory, Tscharke, Benjamin J., O’Malley, Elissa, Shimko, Katja M., Guo, Xiong, Thomas, Kevin V. and O’Brien, Jake W. (2021). Systematic evaluation of the in-sample stability of selected pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their metabolites in wastewater. Environmental Science and Technology, 55 (11) acs.est.1c00396, 7418-7429. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00396

Systematic evaluation of the in-sample stability of selected pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their metabolites in wastewater

2021

Journal Article

Off-gassing of semi-volatile organic compounds from fire-fighters’ uniforms in private vehicles—a pilot study

Banks, Andrew P. W., Wang, Xianyu, He, Chang, Gallen, Michael, Thomas, Kevin V. and Mueller, Jochen F. (2021). Off-gassing of semi-volatile organic compounds from fire-fighters’ uniforms in private vehicles—a pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (6) 3030, 1-9. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18063030

Off-gassing of semi-volatile organic compounds from fire-fighters’ uniforms in private vehicles—a pilot study

2021

Journal Article

Wastewater-based prevalence trends of gout in an Australian community over a period of 8 years

Ahmed, Fahad, Tscharke, Benjamin, O'Brien, Jake W., Zheng, Qiuda, Thompson, Jack, Mueller, Jochen F. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2021). Wastewater-based prevalence trends of gout in an Australian community over a period of 8 years. Science of the Total Environment, 759 143460, 143460. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143460

Wastewater-based prevalence trends of gout in an Australian community over a period of 8 years

2021

Journal Article

SARS-CoV-2 RNA monitoring in wastewater as a potential early warning system for COVID-19 transmission in the community: a temporal case study

Ahmed, Warish, Tscharke, Ben, Bertsch, Paul M., Bibby, Kyle, Bivins, Aaron, Choi, Phil, Clarke, Leah, Dwyer, Jason, Edson, Janette, Nguyen, Thi Minh Hong, O'Brien, Jake W., Simpson, Stuart L., Sherman, Paul, Thomas, Kevin V., Verhagen, Rory, Zaugg, Julian and Mueller, Jochen F. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 RNA monitoring in wastewater as a potential early warning system for COVID-19 transmission in the community: a temporal case study. Science of The Total Environment, 761 144216, 144216. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144216

SARS-CoV-2 RNA monitoring in wastewater as a potential early warning system for COVID-19 transmission in the community: a temporal case study

2021

Journal Article

Out of sight but not out of mind: size fractionation of plastics bioaccumulated by field deployed oysters

Ribeiro, Francisca, Okoffo, Elvis D., O’Brien, Jake W., O’Brien, Stacey, Harris, Jonathan M., Samanipour, Saer, Kaserzon, Sarit, Mueller, Jochen F., Galloway, Tamara and Thomas, Kevin V. (2021). Out of sight but not out of mind: size fractionation of plastics bioaccumulated by field deployed oysters. Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, 2 100021, 100021. doi: 10.1016/j.hazl.2021.100021

Out of sight but not out of mind: size fractionation of plastics bioaccumulated by field deployed oysters

2021

Journal Article

Estimating alcohol consumption by wastewater-based epidemiology: an assessment of the correction factor for ethyl sulfate using large-scale national monitoring data

Thai, Phong K., Tscharke, Benjamin J., O’Brien, Jake W., Zheng, Qiuda, Thomas, Kevin V. and Mueller, Jochen F. (2021). Estimating alcohol consumption by wastewater-based epidemiology: an assessment of the correction factor for ethyl sulfate using large-scale national monitoring data. Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 8 (4), 333-338. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00065

Estimating alcohol consumption by wastewater-based epidemiology: an assessment of the correction factor for ethyl sulfate using large-scale national monitoring data

2021

Journal Article

Trends in artificial sweetener consumption: a 7-year wastewater-based epidemiology study in Queensland, Australia

Li, Dandan, O'Brien, Jake W., Tscharke, Benjamin J., Choi, Phil M., Ahmed, Fahad, Thompson, Jack, Mueller, Jochen F., Sun, Hongwen and Thomas, Kevin V. (2021). Trends in artificial sweetener consumption: a 7-year wastewater-based epidemiology study in Queensland, Australia. Science of the Total Environment, 754 142438, 142438. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142438

Trends in artificial sweetener consumption: a 7-year wastewater-based epidemiology study in Queensland, Australia

2021

Journal Article

Intraday variability of indicator and pathogenic viruses in 1-h and 24-h composite wastewater samples: Implications for wastewater-based epidemiology

Ahmed, Warish, Bivins, Aaron, Bertsch, Paul M., Bibby, Kyle, Gyawali, Pradip, Sherchan, Samendra P., Simpson, Stuart L., Thomas, Kevin V., Verhagen, Rory, Kitajima, Masaaki, Mueller, Jochen F. and Korajkic, Asja (2021). Intraday variability of indicator and pathogenic viruses in 1-h and 24-h composite wastewater samples: Implications for wastewater-based epidemiology. Environmental Research, 193 110531, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110531

Intraday variability of indicator and pathogenic viruses in 1-h and 24-h composite wastewater samples: Implications for wastewater-based epidemiology

2021

Journal Article

Challenges with quantifying tire road wear particles: recognizing the need for further refinement of the ISO technical specification

Rauert, Cassandra, Rødland, Elisabeth S., Okoffo, Elvis D., Reid, Malcolm J., Meland, Sondre and Thomas, Kevin V. (2021). Challenges with quantifying tire road wear particles: recognizing the need for further refinement of the ISO technical specification. Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 8 (3) acs.estlett.0c00949, 231-236. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00949

Challenges with quantifying tire road wear particles: recognizing the need for further refinement of the ISO technical specification

2021

Journal Article

Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2

Donner, Erica, Zamyadi, Arash, Jex, Aaron, Short, Michael, Drigo, Barbara, McCarthy, David, Crosbie, Nicholas, Ahmed, Warish, Mueller, Jochen, Thomas, Kevin, Monis, Paul, Keegan, Alex, Ginige, Maneesha, Hugenholtz, Philip, Tyson, Gene, Hill, Kelly and Blackall, Linda (2021). Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2. Microbiology Australia, 42 (1), 18-22. doi: 10.1071/ma21006

Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2

2021

Journal Article

Plastic particles in soil: state of the knowledge on sources, occurrence and distribution, analytical methods and ecological impacts

Okoffo, Elvis D., O'Brien, Stacey, Ribeiro, Francisca, Burrows, Stephen D., Toapanta, Tania, Rauert, Cassandra, O'Brien, Jake W., Tscharke, Benjamin J., Wang, Xianyu and Thomas, Kevin V. (2021). Plastic particles in soil: state of the knowledge on sources, occurrence and distribution, analytical methods and ecological impacts. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, 23 (2), 240-274. doi: 10.1039/d0em00312c

Plastic particles in soil: state of the knowledge on sources, occurrence and distribution, analytical methods and ecological impacts

2020

Journal Article

Airborne emissions of microplastic fibres from domestic laundry dryers

O'Brien, Stacey, Okoffo, Elvis D., O'Brien, Jake W., Ribeiro, Francisca, Wang, Xianyu, Wright, Stephanie L., Samanipour, Saer, Rauert, Cassandra, Toapanta, Tania Yessenia Alajo, Albarracin, Rizsa and Thomas, Kevin V. (2020). Airborne emissions of microplastic fibres from domestic laundry dryers. Science of the Total Environment, 747 141175, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141175

Airborne emissions of microplastic fibres from domestic laundry dryers

2020

Journal Article

Long-term trends in tobacco use assessed by wastewater-based epidemiology and its relationship with consumption of nicotine containing products

Zheng, Qiuda, Gartner, Coral, Tscharke, Benjamin J., O'Brien, Jake W., Gao, Jianfa, Ahmed, Fahad, Thomas, Kevin V., Mueller, Jochen F. and Thai, Phong K. (2020). Long-term trends in tobacco use assessed by wastewater-based epidemiology and its relationship with consumption of nicotine containing products. Environmental International, 145 106088, 106088. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106088

Long-term trends in tobacco use assessed by wastewater-based epidemiology and its relationship with consumption of nicotine containing products

2020

Journal Article

Release of plastics to Australian land from biosolids end-use

Okoffo, Elvis D., Tscharke, Benjamin J., O'Brien, Jake W., O'Brien, Stacey, Ribeiro, Francisca, Burrows, Stephen D., Choi, Phil M., Wang, Xianyu, Mueller, Jochen F. and Thomas, Kevin (2020). Release of plastics to Australian land from biosolids end-use. Environmental Science and Technology, 54 (23), 15132-15141. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05867

Release of plastics to Australian land from biosolids end-use

2020

Journal Article

An assessment of quality assurance/quality control efforts in high resolution mass spectrometry non-target workflows for analysis of environmental samples

Schulze, Bastian, Jeon, Youngjoon, Kaserzon, Sarit, Heffernan, Amy L., Dewapriya, Pradeep, O'Brien, Jake, Gomez Ramos, Maria Jose, Ghorbani Gorji, Sara, Mueller, Jochen F., Thomas, Kevin V. and Samanipour, Saer (2020). An assessment of quality assurance/quality control efforts in high resolution mass spectrometry non-target workflows for analysis of environmental samples. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 133 116063, 116063. doi: 10.1016/j.trac.2020.116063

An assessment of quality assurance/quality control efforts in high resolution mass spectrometry non-target workflows for analysis of environmental samples

2020

Journal Article

Response to comment on “Quantitative analysis of selected plastics in high-commercial-value Australian seafood by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry”

Ribeiro, Francisca, Okoffo, Elvis D., O’Brien, Jake W., Fraissinet-Tachet, Sarah, O’Brien, Stacey, Gallen, Michael, Samanipour, Saer, Kaserzon, Sarit, Mueller, Jochen F., Galloway, Tamara and Thomas, Kevin V. (2020). Response to comment on “Quantitative analysis of selected plastics in high-commercial-value Australian seafood by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry”. Environmental Science and Technology, 54 (23), 15556-15557. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07097

Response to comment on “Quantitative analysis of selected plastics in high-commercial-value Australian seafood by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry”

2020

Journal Article

The first environmental assessment of hexa(methoxymethyl)melamine and co-occurring cyclic amines in Australian waterways

Rauert, Cassandra, Kaserzon, Sarit L., Veal, Cameron, Yeh, Ruby Y., Mueller, Jochen F. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2020). The first environmental assessment of hexa(methoxymethyl)melamine and co-occurring cyclic amines in Australian waterways. Science of the Total Environment, 743 140834, 140834. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140834

The first environmental assessment of hexa(methoxymethyl)melamine and co-occurring cyclic amines in Australian waterways

2020

Journal Article

Determination of anabasine, anatabine, and nicotine biomarkers in wastewater by enhanced direct injection LC-MS/MS and evaluation of their in-sewer stability

Zheng, Qiuda, Eaglesham, Geoff, Tscharke, Benjamin J., O'Brien, Jake W., Li, Jiaying, Thompson, Jack, Shimko, Katja M., Reeks, Tim, Gerber, Cobus, Thomas, Kevin V. and Thai, Phong K. (2020). Determination of anabasine, anatabine, and nicotine biomarkers in wastewater by enhanced direct injection LC-MS/MS and evaluation of their in-sewer stability. Science of The Total Environment, 743 140551, 140551. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140551

Determination of anabasine, anatabine, and nicotine biomarkers in wastewater by enhanced direct injection LC-MS/MS and evaluation of their in-sewer stability

2020

Journal Article

Comparison of virus concentration methods for the RT-qPCR-based recovery of murine hepatitis virus, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 from untreated wastewater

Ahmed, Warish, Bertsch, Paul M., Bivins, Aaron, Bibby, Kyle, Farkas, Kata, Gathercole, Amy, Haramoto, Eiji, Gyawali, Pradip, Korajkic, Asja, McMinn, Brian R., Mueller, Jochen F., Simpson, Stuart L., Smith, Wendy J.M., Symonds, Erin M., Thomas, Kevin V., Verhagen, Rory and Kitajima, Masaaki (2020). Comparison of virus concentration methods for the RT-qPCR-based recovery of murine hepatitis virus, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 from untreated wastewater. Science of the Total Environment, 739 139960, 139960. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139960

Comparison of virus concentration methods for the RT-qPCR-based recovery of murine hepatitis virus, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 from untreated wastewater

2020

Journal Article

Road de-icing salt: Assessment of a potential new source and pathway of microplastics particles from roads

Rødland, Elisabeth S., Okoffo, Elvis D., Rauert, Cassandra, Heier, Lene S., Lind, Ole Christian, Reid, Malcolm, Thomas, Kevin V. and Meland, Sondre (2020). Road de-icing salt: Assessment of a potential new source and pathway of microplastics particles from roads. Science of the Total Environment, 738 139352, 139352. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139352

Road de-icing salt: Assessment of a potential new source and pathway of microplastics particles from roads

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2030
    Characterising Environmental Chemicals Driving Antimicrobial Resistance
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program
    Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    ARC Training Centre for Hyphenated Analytical Separation Technologies (ARC ITRP administered by the University of Tasmania)
    University of Tasmania
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
    Queensland Health
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Identification of chemical and biological determinants, their sources, and strategies to promote healthier homes in Europe (INQUIRE)
    NHMRC European Union Collaborative Research Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Improving indoor air quality and health: Identification of chemical and biological determinants, their sources, and strategies to promote healthier homes in Europe - INQUIRE (EU RIA led by NILU)
    Norwegian Institute for Air Research
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2028
    Developing protocols to measure plastic chemicals in human brain, blood and urine
    The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2030
    Centre to develop novel mass spectrometry protocols to measure plastic chemicals in human tissue
    The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Chemical Analyses of National Passive Air Samples
    DCCEEW - Approach to Market
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2025
    Analysing Clothing Textiles on the Australian Market for Chemicals of Concern
    DCCEEW - Approach to Market
    Open grant
  • 2024
    Microplastics in drinking water
    Minderoo Foundation Limited
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Performance and Image Enhancing Substances in Wastewater
    Sport Integrity Australia
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Australian Environmental Specimen Bank: advancing specimen bank capability
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Preliminary investigations relating to the role of cyanobacterial blooms in the amplification and dispersal of antimicrobial resistance
    Melbourne Water Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Quarantined ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS) facility (ARC LIEF administered by University of Tasmania)
    University of Tasmania
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Exposure to Trihalomethanes in pregnancy and birth outcomes in Queensland: integrated data analysis and case studies for better policy and health outcomes
    NHMRC Partnership Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Improved monitoring of aquatic pollutants in national water resources
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    Comprehensive characterisation of the PFAS exposome
    NHMRC Targeted Research
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Estimating use of tobacco and nicotine products through wastewater analysis
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program
    Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Microplastics: Long-term Effects of plastics and Additive Chemicals on marine organisms (MicroLEACH)
    Norwegian Institute for Water Research
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    A global platform for identifying emerging chemical threats
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019
    A Gas Chromatography-High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry Facility
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Novel Testing Strategies for Endocrine Disruptors in the Context of Developmental Neuro Toxicity (ENDpoiNTs) (Horizon 2020 Grant administered by Karolinska Institute)
    Uppsala University
    Open grant
  • 2019
    UHPLC-QTOF-MS for research on emerging chemical pollutants including PFAS
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Identification and screening for potential human health effects of coal seam gas (CSG) activity in the southern Surat Basin, Queensland
    CSIRO
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2023
    Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
    Queensland Health
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Exposure mapping - combining wastewater analysis with human biomonitoring
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
    Queensland Health
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Kevin Thomas is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Deciphering known and unknown chemical drivers of antimicrobial resistance in environmental mixtures

    Quantify known AMR-selective chemicals in complex samples, use iceberg modelling to estimate unknown drivers, and isolate unknown AMR-selective compounds via bioassay-directed fractionation for structural characterisation by high resolution mass spectrometry.

  • Available projects for prospective PhD students

    Projects are available around four broad themes.

    • Identifying chemicals that select for antimicrobial resistance.
    • 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

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Kevin Thomas directly for media enquiries about:

  • Aquatic pollution
  • chemical pollution
  • Illicit drug monitoring in wastewater
  • Microplastics

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au