Hari Ananda Rao, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Research Interests

Hari’s research focuses on characterizing the anaerobic environment’s microbial ecology for better understanding complex microbial metabolisms and apply them to biotechnological applications such as Bioenergy and resource recovery from wastewater, as well as bio-corrosion. His multidisciplinary research strategies integrate electromicrobiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, bio-electrochemistry, and environmental biotechnology processes for waste to resource conversion.

Selected Publications

  • Temporal microbial community dynamics in microbial electrolysis cells- Influence of acetate and propionate concentrations. Hari, A.R., Venkidusamy, K., Katuri, K.P., & Saikaly, P.E. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8: 1371 (2017)
  • Anode potentials affect the electron fluxes to current during syntrophic propionate oxidation in microbial electrolysis cells. Hari, A.R., Katuri, K.P., Logan, B. E., & Saikaly, P.E. Scientific Reports, 6, 38690 (2016)
  • Multiple paths of electron flow during propionate oxidation in microbial electrolysis cells fed with low and high concentrations of propionate. Hari, A.R., Katuri, K.P., Gorron, E., Logan B.E, & Saikaly, P.E. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 100, 13, 5999-6011 (2016)
  • Petrophilic, Fe(III) reducing exoelectrogen Citrobacter sp. KVM11, isolated from hydrocarbon fed microbial electrochemical remediation systems. Venkidusamy, Hari, A.R., & Megharaj. M K. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, 349 (2018)
  • Importance of species sorting and immigration in the assembly of different-sized microbial aggregates in a full-scale aerobic granular sludge plant. Ali, M., Wang, Z., Salam, K., Hari, A.R., Pronk, M., VanLoosdrecht, M.C.M., Saikaly, P., Environmental Science and Technology, 53 (14), 8291-8301 (2019)
  • Assessment of the performance of SMFCs in the bioremediation of PAHs in contaminated marine sediments under different redox conditions and analysis of the associated microbial communities. Hamdan, H., Salam, D., Hari, A.R., Semarjian, L., & Saikaly, P.E. Science of Total Environment, 575, 1453-1461 (2017)
  • Enrichment of extremophilic exoelectrogens in microbial electrolysis cells using red sea brine pools as inocula. Shehab, N., Medina, J.F.O., Katuri, K.P., Hari, A.R., Amy, G.L., Logan, B. E., & Saikaly, P.E. Bioresource Technology 239, 82-86 (2017)
  • Assessment of the performance of SMFCs in the bioremediation of PAHs in contaminated marine sediments under different redox conditions and analysis of the associated microbial communities. Hamdan, H., Salam, D., Hari, A.R., Semarjian, L., & Saikaly, P.E. Science of Total Environment, 575, 1453-1461 (2017)
  • Graphene-coated nickel hollow fiber membrane as a cathode electrode in anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactors – Effect of reactor configuration and applied voltage on membrane fouling and system performance”. Werner, C.M., Katuri, K.P., Hari, A.R., Chen. W., Lai. Z., Logan B.E., Amy, G.L., & Saikaly, P.E. Environmental Science and Technology, 50, 8, 4439-4447 (2016)
  • Diversity and dynamics of dominant and rare bacterial taxa in replicate sequencing batch reactors operated under different solids retention time. Bagchi, S., Tellez, B. G., Hari, A.R., Lamendella, R., & Saikaly, P. E. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 99, 5, 2361-2370 (2015)
  • Microbial community composition is unaffected by anode potential. Zhu, X., Yates, M.D., Hatzell, M.C., Hari, A.R., Saikaly, P. E., & Logan B.E. Environmental Science and Technology, 48, 1352-1358 (2014)
  • Electricity generation and microbial community structure of air-cathode MFCs powered with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and inoculated with different seeds. El Chakhtoura, J., El-Fadel, M., Ghanimeh, S., Hari, A.R., Li, D., and Saikaly, P. E. Biomass and Bioenergy, 67, 24-31 (2014).

Education

  • Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, 2016
  • M.Sc., Industrial Microbiology, University of Madras, India, 2009
  • B.Sc., Microbiology, Madras Christian College (MCC), University of Madras, 2007

Professional Profile

  • 2021- Present: Postdoctoral fellow, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2020-2021: Research Officer, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
  • 2019-2020: Visiting Research Fellow, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
  • 2017-2020: Postdoctoral fellow, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Al Rayyan, Qatar
  • 2014: Visiting Researcher, Water Quality Control Engineering Center, Hokkaido University, Japan
  • 2012: Visiting Researcher, Energy & Environmental Institute (E3I), Penn state University, USA
  • 2009-2011: Research Assistant, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Chennai, India

Scientific and Professional Membership

International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET)​ 

Awards

  • Academic Excellence Award, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
  • Best performer award, South Asia Co-operative Environmental Program (SACEP), Loyola College, Chennai, India

KAUST Affiliations

  • Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC)
  • Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)​​

Research Interests Keywords

Electromicrobiology Microbial ecology Microbial interactions Waste to resources Biocorrosion