Rate My Professor Steven Lucas

Dr. Steven Lucas serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in Earth Sciences in the School of Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He earned his PhD from the University of Newcastle, where his thesis examined sodium flux in woodlot soils irrigated with treated effluent, focusing on the implications for sustainable irrigation and soil management through analysis of clay particle behavior under varying chemical compositions during irrigation and rainfall events. His research expertise lies in wastewater reuse to land, evaluating the impacts of wastewater quality on soil structure, and the export of contaminants to natural waterways. Additional areas of interest include integrated water cycle management, water system analysis and simulation, contaminant export from non-sewered areas, soil-water interactions and processes, sustainable farming and food production practices, soil chemistry, environmental management, efficient farming systems, reactive filter media, and water treatment.

As a researcher at the University of Newcastle, Lucas has been involved in 20 grants amounting to $911,955. He has led significant projects such as the Stormwater Quality Monitoring Plan for the City of Newcastle ($108,650, 2020-2021), Monitoring of infiltration trenches in Seabreeze Estate, Port Stephens ($81,849, 2020-2023; earlier phase $49,720, 2017-2019), Norfolk Island Environmental Assessment ($87,405, 2019), Stormwater quality monitoring in the Newcastle LGA ($114,500, 2018-2022), and Field validation of Reactive Filter Media ($75,000, 2016-2022). Other grants address biodegradation of polystyrene, compost as landfill capping, bees as biodiversity monitors, and performance of on-site wastewater systems. His publications include books 'Sodium Flux in Woodlot Soils Irrigated with Treated Effluent: The Implications for Sustainable Irrigation and Soil Management' (2009) and 'Towards the Richmond Vale Rail Trail' (2017, co-authored with Golightly et al.); chapters 'Review on IPCC Reports' and 'Climate Change Drivers' (2022); and journal articles 'Characterising recycled organic and mineral materials for use as filter media in biofiltration systems' (2019, Lucas, Lee, Love), 'Contamination of estuaries from failing septic tank systems' (2019, Geary, Lucas), 'An overview on biodegradation of polystyrene and modified polystyrene: the microbial approach' (2018, Ho, Roberts, Lucas), 'On-site wastewater systems: investigating dynamics and diurnal patterns' (2017), and 'Small-Scale Household Biogas Digesters' (2015). With 36 publications cited over 740 times, his contributions advance water quality monitoring, biofiltration, and sustainable environmental practices. Lucas also provides lecturing and online teaching.