I graduated with degrees in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Microbiology from Wageningen University in The Netherlands, where I was inspired by two great scientists, Gatze Lettinga and Alexander J.B. Zehnder. They not only taught me that the future is anaerobic but also instilled the notion that in microbial ecosystems the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and that thermodynamics offers an insightful perspective on their intricacies. Thus equipped it only came natural to hypothesize and subsequently prove - as a postdoc with James M. Tiedje at Michigan State - that microorganisms can thrive on organohalide respiration.

Thermodynamics and environmental biotechnology have been the central themes in my research ever since, with a recent focus on anaerobic wastewater treatment at the low winter temperatures prevailing in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Bioelectrochemical systems are an integral part of these endeavours: There is lots of energy in wastewater that we could and should harness.