Awoke Guadie

Awoke Guadie was born and raised in Ethiopia. He received a master degree in Applied Microbiology from Addis Ababa University in 2008. He joined Tongji University [UN Environment-Tongji University Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD) program] as PhD student in 2011. IESD found him an excellent graduate of Tongji University completed his PhD study within two and half years which is uncommon in the university history. For his achievement, the university awarded him First Class Praxair-Tongji Environmental, and Tongji University President Scholarship. Awoke’s research focus on the innovative water and wastewater treatment and reuse technologies. His work on Sustainable Nutrient Recovery and Removal from Wastewater using Fluidized Bed Reactor-Membrane Bioreactor (FBR-MBR) Combo System has been found novel and published in high impact SCI journals.

After graduation, Dr. Awoke went back to his home country and has served Arba Minch University (AMU) at a position of Assistant Professor, where he employed AMU since 2003. On top of teaching different graduate courses and advising M.Sc students, he also served AMU as Director of Biological and Cultural Diversity Research Center. He works and kept close contact with Tongji University and helped to bridge the collaboration between Tongji University and AMU.

In 2016, he was selected as talented young scientist program (TYSP) postdoctoral fellow sponsored by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and back to Tongji University and joined his previous PhD mentor Prof. Siqing Xia research group. Currently, he is the first foreign postdoctoral fellow at Tongji University working his research on the south-south cooperation, in particular the Sino-African cooperation on water issues. Under the TYSP cooperation agreement between Chinese and Ethiopian MOST, he is the first young scientist who gets his government signature.

Dr. Awoke’s general expertise and practical experience cover the area of water and wastewater treatment, phosphorus and nitrogen recovery, membrane technology, biofilm development, molecular analysis of sludge microorganism and pure colony, pure culture isolation from mixed microbial community and characterization using advanced microscopic techniques. His current postdoctoral research topic is nutrient removal and recovery using FBR-Anaerobic Ammonia Oxidation (Anammox) combo system. This combo system is a sustainable approach in which phosphorus recovered as struvite in the FBR system, while a large amount of ammonia treated in the Anammox reactor. Treatment of ammonia from wastewater using Anammox bacteria is hot research area with many advantages including climate change mitigation, energy saving and reduced sludge production.

E-mail: awokeguadie@gmail.com

Education

2011-2014

Ph.D, Environmental Science, Tongji University

2006-2008

M.Sc, Applied Microbiology, Addis Ababa University

1999-2003

B.Sc, Biology, Debub University

Work Experience

Since 2016

Postdoctoral fellow at Tongji University

2003-2015

Arba Minch University (AMU), Applied Biology Department, Ethiopia

Awards

2003

First award given for top academic achiever, Biology Department, Debub University, Dilla College of Teaching and Health Sciences

2013

First Class Praxair -Tongji Environmental Scholarship Award

2013

Tongji University President Scholarship

Membership

Founding fellow of the Ethiopian Young Academy of Sciences (EtYAS)

Ethiopian Biological Society

Forum for Rift Valley Environmental Science

Publications

1.      Guadie, Awoke, Amare Gessesse, and Siqing Xia. “Halomonas sp. strain A55, a novel dye decolorizing bacterium from dye-uncontaminated Rift Valley Soda lake.” Chemosphere 206 (2018): 59-69.

2.      Awoke Guadie, Demisse Dakone, Dikaso Unbushe and Siqing Xia (2016). The antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Genta Meyche (Southern Ethiopia) for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Journal of Herbal Medicine (In press).

3.      Awoke Guadiea, Samson Tizazu, Meseretu Melese, Wenshan Guo, Huu Hao Ngo and Siqing Xia (2017). Biodecolorization of textile azo dye using Bacillus sp. strain CH12 isolated from alkaline lake. Biotechnology Reports 15: 92-100.

4.      Min Long, Chen Zhouc, Siqing Xia and Awoke Guadie (2017). Concomitant Cr(VI) reduction and Cr(III) precipitation with nitrate in a methane/oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor. Chemical Engineering Journal 315: 58-66.

5.      Awoke Guadie, Siqing Xia, Zhiqiang Zhang, Jemaneh Zeleke, Wenshan Guo, Huu Hao Ngo and Slawomir W. Hermanowicz (2014). Effect of intermittent aeration cycle on nutrient removal and microbial community in a fluidized bed reactor-membrane bioreactor combo system. Bioresource Technology 156:195-205.

6.      Awoke Guadie, Siqing Xia, Wei Jiang, Lijie Zhou, Zhiqiang Zhang, Slawomir W. Hermanowicz, Xiaoyin Xu and Shuang Shen (2014). Enhanced struvite recovery from wastewater using a novel cone-inserted fluidized bed reactor. Journal of Environmental Sciences 26 (4): 765-774.

7.      Awoke Guadie, Siqing Xia, Zhiqiang Zhang, Wenshan Guo and Huu Hao Ngo and Slawomir W. Hermanowicz (2013). Simultaneous removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from sewage using a novel combo system of fluidized bed reactor-membrane bioreactor (FBR-MBR). Bioresource Technology 149: 275-286.

8.      Khan M.G., Daniel G., Konjit M., Thomas A., Eyasu, S.S. and G. Awoke (2011). Impact of textile wastewater on seed germination and physiological parameters in Pea (Pisum sativum L.), Lentil (Lens esculentum L.) and Gram (Cicer arietinum L.). Asian Journal of Plant Sciences 10 (4): 269-273.

9.      Awoke Guadie and Siqing Xia (2012). Evaluating factors affecting phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater using fluidized bed reactor. 12th Symposium on Sustainable Water Resources Development June 26-27, 2012. Proceedings in Journal of Ethiopian Water Science and Technology 12(1), 60-70.

10.      Awoke Guadie (2012). Non-effluent adapted alkaliphilic soda lake microbial consortia for textile wastewater treatment. Proceedings in Journal of Ethiopian Water Science and Technology 1 (1):31-43.

11.   Mohammed Gufran and Awoke Guadie (2011). Impact of tannery effluent on germination and some physiological parameters in maize. Proceedings on International Conference on Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Development. Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia

Posters Presented on Conference

1.      Current status of liquid and solid waste disposal systems in Arba Minch town. CAS-TWAS Training Program on Water and Sanitation. September 09-24, 2015 at Beijing, China.

2.      Phosphorus Recovery and Nitrogen Removal from Wastewater. Environment and Health Symposium. May 30-June 03 5-8, 2015 at Pretoria, South Africa.

3.      Sustainable Phosphorus and Nitrogen Recovery Approach from Wastewater. International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability. June 5-8, 2012 June 5-8, 2014 at Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

4.      Hydropower is the Motive for Ecosystem Greening. International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability. June 5-8, 2013 at Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

5.      Tree for Future Safe Life. International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability. June 5-8, 2012 at Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

6.      Microbial and Chemical Analysis of Arba Minch Town Drinking Water. 2nd Symposium on Biodiversity. June 3-5, 2012, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

Conference Attended

1.      Mid-term Review Meeting for UNEP-China-Africa Cooperation Program on the Environment March 25-29, 2013, Beijing, China.

2.      International Water Association (IWA) Biofilm Conference, October 27-30, 2011, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

3.      IE Expo 2013 on “International Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Refuse, Recycling, Air Pollution Control and Energy Conservation”, May 13-15, 2013, Shanghai Expo Center, China.

4.      3rd Bayer-Tongji-UNEP Sustainability Development Forum on “food safety and environmental health” November 27, 2012, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

5.      Sino-European Academic Symposium on “Green Economy and Ecosystem Management” November 5, 2012, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

6.      The Future Science Forum Common Challenges: Responding to Global Issue Collectively, October 27, 2013. Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s of Republic of China and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government

7.       Metal in Water: Health Protection and Sustainability through Technical Innovation, November 6-9, 2013. IWA-Tongji University, Shanghai, China.