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
2019
Journal Article
Environmental risks associated with contaminants of legacy and emerging concern at European aquaculture areas
Aminot, Yann, Sayfritz, Stephen J., Thomas, Kevin V., Godinho, Lia, Botteon, Elena, Ferrari, Federico, Boti, Vasiliki, Albanis, Triantafyllos, Köck-Schulmeyer, Marianne, Diaz-Cruz, M. Silvia, Farré, Marinella, Barceló, Damià, Marques, António and Readman, James W. (2019). Environmental risks associated with contaminants of legacy and emerging concern at European aquaculture areas. Environmental Pollution, 252 (Pt B), 1301-1310. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.05.133
2019
Other Outputs
National wastewater drug monitoring program - report 8
Tscharke, B, O'Brien, J., Reeks, T., Elisei, G., Grant, S., Mueller, J., Thomas, K., Ghetia, M., Bade, R., Nguyen, L., Gerber, C. and White, J. (2019). National wastewater drug monitoring program - report 8. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).
2019
Journal Article
Harnessing the power of the census: characterising wastewater treatment plant catchment populations for wastewater-based epidemiology
Tscharke, Benjamin J., O'Brien, Jake, Ort, Christoph, Grant, Sharon, Gerber, Cobus, Bade, Richard, Thai, Phong K., Thomas, Kevin V. and Mueller, Jochen F. (2019). Harnessing the power of the census: characterising wastewater treatment plant catchment populations for wastewater-based epidemiology. Environmental Science and Technology, 53 (17) acs.est.9b03447, 10303-10311. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03447
2019
Journal Article
Self adjusting algorithm for the nontargeted feature detection of high resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography profile data
Samanipour, Saer, O’Brien, Jake W., Reid, Malcolm J. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). Self adjusting algorithm for the nontargeted feature detection of high resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography profile data. Analytical Chemistry, 91 (16) acs.analchem.9b02422, 10800-10807. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b02422
2019
Journal Article
A pilot wastewater‐based epidemiology assessment of anabolic steroid use in Queensland, Australia
Shimko, Katja M., O'Brien, Jake W., Barron, Leon, Kayalar, Hasan, Mueller, Jochen F., Tscharke, Ben J., Choi, Phil M., Jiang, Hui, Eaglesham, Geoff and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). A pilot wastewater‐based epidemiology assessment of anabolic steroid use in Queensland, Australia. Drug Testing and Analysis, 11 (7) dta.2591, 937-949. doi: 10.1002/dta.2591
2019
Journal Article
Letter to the editor: Optimism for nontarget analysis in environmental chemistry
Samanipour, Saer, Martin, Jonathan W., Lamoree, Marja H., Reid, Malcolm J. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). Letter to the editor: Optimism for nontarget analysis in environmental chemistry. Environmental Science & Technology, 53 (10) acs.est.9b01476, 5529-5530. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01476
2019
Journal Article
Oxidative stress potential of the herbicides bifenox and metribuzin in the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Almeida, Ana Catarina, Gomes, Tânia, Langford, Katherine, Thomas, Kevin V. and Tollefsen, Knut Erik (2019). Oxidative stress potential of the herbicides bifenox and metribuzin in the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Aquatic Toxicology, 210, 117-128. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.02.021
2019
Journal Article
Per capita loads of organic UV filters in Australian wastewater influent
O'Malley, Elissa, O'Brien, Jake W., Tscharke, Ben, Thomas, Kevin and Mueller, Jochen F. (2019). Per capita loads of organic UV filters in Australian wastewater influent. Science of The Total Environment, 662, 134-140. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.140
2019
Other Outputs
National wastewater drug monitoring program - report 7
Tscharke, B., Reeks, T., Elisei, G., O'Brien, J., Grant, S., Mueller, J., Thomas, K., Ghetia, M., Bade, R., Nguyen, L., Gerber, C. and White, J. (2019). National wastewater drug monitoring program - report 7. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).
2019
Journal Article
Trends in nicotine consumption between 2010 and 2017 in an Australian city using the wastewater-based epidemiology approach
Mackie, Rachel S., Tscharke, Benjamin J., O'Brien, Jake W., Choi, Phil M., Gartner, Coral E., Thomas, Kevin V. and Mueller, Jochen F. (2019). Trends in nicotine consumption between 2010 and 2017 in an Australian city using the wastewater-based epidemiology approach. Environment International, 125, 184-190. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.053
2019
Journal Article
Machine learning combined with non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis for a risk warning system of chemical hazards in drinking water: A proof of concept
Samanipour, Saer, Kaserzon, Sarit, Vijayasarathy, Soumini, Jiang, Hui, Choi, Phil, Reid, Malcolm J., Mueller, Jochen F. and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). Machine learning combined with non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis for a risk warning system of chemical hazards in drinking water: A proof of concept. Talanta, 195, 426-432. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.11.039
2019
Journal Article
The effect of extraction methodology on the recovery and distribution of naphthenic acids of oilfield produced water
Samanipour, Saer, Hooshyari, Maryam, Baz-Lomba, Jose A., Reid, Malcolm J., Casale, Monica and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). The effect of extraction methodology on the recovery and distribution of naphthenic acids of oilfield produced water. Science of the Total Environment, 652, 1416-1423. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.264
2019
Journal Article
Assessing alternative population size proxies in a wastewater catchment area using mobile device data
Baz-Lomba, Jose Antonio, Di Ruscio, Francesco, Amador, Arturo, Reid, Malcolm and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). Assessing alternative population size proxies in a wastewater catchment area using mobile device data. Environmental Science and Technology, 53 (4), 1994-2001. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05389
2019
Journal Article
LC-HRMS suspect screening to show spatial patterns of New Psychoactive Substances use in Australia
Bade, Richard, Tscharke, Benjamin J., White, Jason M., Grant, Sharon, Mueller, Jochen F., O'Brien, Jake, Thomas, Kevin V. and Gerber, Cobus (2019). LC-HRMS suspect screening to show spatial patterns of New Psychoactive Substances use in Australia. Science of the Total Environment, 650 (Pt 2), 2181-2187. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.348
2019
Journal Article
Accumulation and fate of nano- and micro-plastics and associated contaminants in organisms
Ribeiro, Francisca, O'Brien, Jake W., Galloway, Tamara and Thomas, Kevin V. (2019). Accumulation and fate of nano- and micro-plastics and associated contaminants in organisms. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 111, 139-147. doi: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.12.010
2019
Conference Publication
Influence of population age and socioeconomics on chemical consumption and diet patterns measured by wastewater based epidemiology
Choi, P., Tscharke, B., Samanipour, S., O’Brien, J., Thomas, K. and Mueller, J. (2019). Influence of population age and socioeconomics on chemical consumption and diet patterns measured by wastewater based epidemiology. 2019 Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht, Netherlands, 25-28 August 2019. Alphen aan de Rijn, Netherlands: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). doi: 10.1097/01.ee9.0000606448.07396.1d
2019
Book Chapter
Mining population exposure and community health via wastewater-based epidemiology
Choi, Phil M., Thomas, Kevin V., O’Brien, Jake W. and Mueller, Jochen F. (2019). Mining population exposure and community health via wastewater-based epidemiology. A new paradigm for environmental chemistry and toxicology: from concepts to insights. (pp. 99-114) Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-9447-8_8
2019
Conference Publication
Measuring the scale of opioid consumption in Australia by wastewater analysis
Gerber, Cobus, Nguyen, Lynn, Bade, Richard, White, Jason, Tscharke, Benjamin, O'Brien, Jake, Mueller, Jochen and Thomas, Kevin (2019). Measuring the scale of opioid consumption in Australia by wastewater analysis. Fall National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), San Diego, CA, United States, 25-29 August 2019. Washington, DC, United States: American Chemical Society.
2019
Conference Publication
Implication of in-sewer stability testing of markers for wastewater-based epidemiology
O'Brien, Jake W. , Jiang, Guangming , Gao, Jianfa , Li, Jiaying , Banks, Andrew , Mueller, Jochen F. , Choi, Phil , Thomas, Kevin V. , Ort, Christoph , Tscharke, Benjamin J. and Thai, Phong K. (2019). Implication of in-sewer stability testing of markers for wastewater-based epidemiology. ACS Fall 2019 National Meeting & Exposition, San Diego, CA, United States, 25-29 August 2019. WASHINGTON: AMER CHEMICAL SOC.
2019
Conference Publication
Microplastics quantification in complex environment samples using combined solvent extraction and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Okoffo, Elvis Dartey, Ribeiro, Francisca, O'Brien, Stacey, O'Brien, Jake, Gallen, Michael and Thomas, Kevin (2019). Microplastics quantification in complex environment samples using combined solvent extraction and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fall National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS), San Diego, CA United States, 25-29 August 2019. Washington, DC United States: American Chemical Society.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Kevin Thomas is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Available projects for prospective PhD students
Projects are available arounf 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
-
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
-
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
development of accurate quantitative methods for microplastics in the terrestrial and marine environments
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Whittaker, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
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, Dr Pradeep Dewapriya
-
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing dietary exposure to plastics and associated chemicals
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Antibiotics and other chemicals that select for antimicrobial resistance in Australian wastewater
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastics in water system: Issues and treatment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
Doctor Philosophy
development of accurate quantitative methods for microplastics in the terrestrial and marine environments
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Whittaker, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastic exposure
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Fisher Wang, Dr Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of novel substances in wastewater that select for antimicrobial resistance
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Professor Jianhua Guo
-
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
Antibiotics and other chemicals that select for resistance in the environment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Microplastics pollution in water systems: Issues and Treatment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo
-
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
Comprehensive characterisation of the human PFAS exposome
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ian Wood, Dr Jake O'Brien, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon, Dr Pradeep Dewapriya
-
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing microplastic inputs from ships
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of novel substances in wastewater that select for antimicrobial resistance
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien, Professor Jianhua Guo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Non-Targeted High-Resolution Mass Spectrometric Characterisation of Highly Mobile and Highly Persistent Chemicals
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elvis Okoffo, Dr Cassie Rauert, Dr Jake O'Brien
-
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 Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Developing strategies to tackle pollution from per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) in the environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of passive sampling methodologies for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Human exposure and accumulation of plastics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Human exposure and fate of micro/nanoplastics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassie Rauert, Dr Taskeen Janjua Khan
-
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 Cassie Rauert
-
Doctor Philosophy
Developing strategies to tackle pollution from per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) in the environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
Estimating use of tobacco and nicotine products through wastewater analysis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Dr Ben Tscharke, Associate Professor Phong Thai
-
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
Reducing glyphosate exposure from high use practices
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Fisher Wang, Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Professor Bhagirath Chauhan, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
DETERMINATION OF MICRO AND NANOPLASTICS IN BREAST MILK, BLOOD AND MECONIUM SAMPLES FROM MOTHERS-INFANTS IN AUSTRALIA
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassie 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 Cassie Rauert, Dr Jake O'Brien
-
Doctor Philosophy
Emerging contaminants in Food Organics and Garden Organic (FOGO) materials
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
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
-
Doctor Philosophy
The suitability of wastewater-based epidemiology for AMR surveillance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
-
-
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
Developing strategies to tackle pollution from per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) in the environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Ghorbani Gorji, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
Doctor Philosophy
The suitability of wastewater-based epidemiology for AMR surveillance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jake O'Brien
Completed supervision
-
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 plastic contamination in marine organisms
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jochen Mueller, Dr Jake O'Brien, Associate Professor Sarit Kaserzon
-
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
-
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
-
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
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
-
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
-
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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