Merve Atasoy

My research focuses on developing sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies for biobased chemical production through the valorisation of biomass and waste streams. I integrate environmental biotechnology, microbiology, and engineering to design and operate bioreactors, as well as to investigate microbial processes within engineered systems.

I earned my PhD in Chemical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, where I focused on enhancing volatile fatty acid production from dairy wastewater using bioaugmentation strategies. Following my PhD, I held postdoctoral and technical manager positions at Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands), working on the UNLOCK project—an open research center dedicated to the exploration and engineering of microbial communities.

At the University of Eastern Finland, my research group focuses on developing a novel bioprocess to recover carbon and nitrogen from waste streams in the form of primary amines. This work aims to support the transition toward carbon- and energy-positive wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by enhancing resource circularity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and transforming WWTPs into sustainable hubs for chemical production within a circular economy framework.