Professor Pascal Saikaly’s research focuses on developing sustainable environmental biotechnologies to manage microbial communities for treating waste while recovering valuable resources, such as reclaimed water, renewable energy, and high-value chemicals. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in advancing wastewater reclamation and resource recovery through innovations like microbial electrochemical systems, aerobic granular sludge process, anammox process, and microbial chain elongation. He excels in translating novel biotechnologies from bench-scale to real-world applications. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and holds six patents, including two for advanced wastewater treatment and reuse technologies and one for converting organic waste into valuable chemicals. He currently serves as Editor of Water Research, Associate Editor of Frontiers in Microbiology, and is a member of the Editorial Board of Environmental Science and Ecotechnology. 

Since joining KAUST in 2010, Professor Saikaly has led the Microbial-Assisted Processes and Technologies group, focusing on sustainable solutions for wastewater treatment and organic waste management. His lab develops innovative environmental biotechnologies to manage microbial communities effectively, enabling simultaneous waste treatment and recovery of valuable resources. By integrating electrochemistry, microbial ecology, materials science, and process engineering, his group aims to optimize bioprocesses to address global challenges such as water scarcity, environmental pollution, and resource depletion. The team investigates four key areas: (1) anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) for energy-efficient nitrogen removal from wastewater, (2) aerobic granular sludge for compact and advanced wastewater treatment, (3) microbial chain elongation to transform organic wastes into high-value chemicals, and (4) microbial electrochemical systems for integrated wastewater treatment and recovery of energy.