OVERVIEW 

Dr. Abdul Haq is a postdoctoral researcher at the MaREI Centre, Sustainability Institute, University College Cork. He has a strong motivation to contribute to climate action, renewable gas production, and circular bioeconomy systems. He specialises in biological methanation, anaerobic digestion, and microbial resource recovery. His key research interests include ex-situ conversion of renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO₂ to biomethane, microbial community optimisation, and reactor-level innovations that support next-generation renewable gas technologies. He previously worked as a Senior Research Officer at the Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, where he contributed to several national R&D initiatives on antimicrobials, bioenergy and waste valorisation.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Dr. Haq is currently working on advanced Ex-situ Biomethanation Systems for Renewable Gas Production under the project “Circular Bioeconomy Systems” at MaREI. His work focuses on enhancing the efficiency of H₂–CO₂ biomethanation under intermittent hydrogen supply, developing microbial and process-scale solutions, and assessing the role of biological methanation within wider circular bioeconomy pathways.

BACKGROUND

Dr. Haq graduated with a PhD in Microbiology from the Department of Microbiology at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan. His PhD thesis, “Biotechnological Applications of Jatropha curcas Seeds for Bioenergy Carriers and Bioactive Compounds,” explored biofuel production and biorefinery concepts. During his PhD, he received the prestigious HEC Indigenous Scholarship and the International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) award, which supported his training as a visiting scholar at North Carolina State University. There, he gained further expertise in anaerobic digestion, metagenomics, and computational tools including Qiime and R for microbial community and multivariate analysis.

Before joining MaREI, Dr. Haq worked as a Senior Research Officer at PCSIR and as a Research Associate at Quaid-i-Azam University. His research experience includes biogas and biodiesel production, microbial ecology, antimicrobials, and metagenomic analysis.

He has published multiple scientific articles, submitted technical reports to PCSIR, and filed a patent with IPO-Pakistan. He has several book chapters with Elsevier and CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group). He has presented at national and international conferences and has served as a peer reviewer for several reputable journals.

He has participated in and organised numerous workshops and training activities and has completed the National Faculty Development Program (NFDP) of Pakistan’s National Academy of Higher Education. Dr. Haq is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, Pakistan Society of Microbiologists, Springer Research Community, and Quaidian Association of Microbiologists.

He is also involved in community development initiatives, including the installation of domestic biogas reactors in local communities to promote sustainable energy practices