We are delighted to announce the successful Ph.D. dissertation defense of Kees Theo Huisman, who did his Ph.D. studies under the supervision of Professor Hans Vrouwenvelder.

 

Theo’s work studies reverse osmosis and nanofiltration spiral wound membrane elements for high-quality water production from contaminated sources. Specifically, it investigates the application of optical coherence tomography for nondestructive imaging and structural characterization of biofouling on the feed spacer. Additionally, it evaluates the impact on operational performance, establishing quantitative links between biofouling and the feed channel pressure drop. The work highlights the imperative inclusion of the feed spacer optical coherence tomography images in biofouling studies and paves the way for robust biofouling mitigation strategies in water purification.

Theo joined the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Science and Engineering with Prof. Vrouwenvelder. His research efforts focus on addressing biofouling on the membrane and feed spacer in spiral wound elements for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration.

During his time at KAUST, he received the Dean’s Award for outstanding academic achievements in 2021/2022 in the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division. Huisman has actively participated in events organized by the Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), including World Water Day, KAUST Research Open Week, and the UN2023 Gamechanger Challenge.