Professor Robert Reed has travelled from England to join CQU and he says our region's diverse water environments were a selling point for the move.

The newly appointed Professor of Biomedical Sciences made a brief visit to CQU Rockhampton in April to meet key staff members and he will return full-time in from next week (July 23).

Professor Rob Reed

Professor Reed is presently Chair in Microbiology, School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

CQU Vice-Chancellor Professor John Rickard says that Professor Reed will bring a wealth of experience in applied microbiology, particularly in the areas of water treatment processes and responses of microorganisms to environmental stress.

His research areas also include solar disinfection and safe storage of drinking water, survival and enumeration of faecal bacteria in natural waters, and methods for the detection of indicator bacteria and pathogens in environmental samples and natural waters

Professor Reed also publishes in the areas of learning and teaching, and is one of the authors of the 'Practical Skills' series of student textbooks.