Dr Rai Kookana: micro-pollutant expert

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements
• Professional activities

Current activities

Dr Kookana is the leader of Trace Organics and Risk Assessment Research Group.

Research topics of interest have included:

• development of pesticide risk indicators for minimising off-site impact of pesticides on water quality
• management practices for minimising off-site impact of pesticides
• environmental fate and behaviour of organic micro-pollutants in reclaimed water and biosolids
• environmental fate and effects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products
• the role of biochar (black carbon) on sequestration and bioavailability of organic contaminants
• tools and approaches for ecological risk assessment.

Background

Dr Kookana has over 20 years research experience as an environmental chemist focussing on the fate of organic contaminants including pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in environment.

Dr Kookana's recent professional experience includes:

• occurrence, environmental fate and effects of triclosan and other antimicrobial agents on terrestrial ecosystems
• fate of micropollutants during aquifer storage and recovery of reclaimed water
• linking pharmacokinetics to environmental fate of pharmaceutical drugs
• characterising risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic ecosystems
• the role of chemistry of soil organic matter on pesticide sorption, mobility and bioavailability
• risk based approaches for minimising off-site impacts of pesticides.

Academic qualifications

Dr Kookana has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science with Honours in Agriculture from Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India, in 1978
• Master of Science in Soil Science also from Haryana Agricultural University, in 1980
• Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science from The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia in 1989.

His doctoral dissertation was titled Equilibrium and kinetic aspects of sorption, desorption and mobility of pesticides in soil.

Achievements

Dr Kookana is the author of 129 journal articles, 14 book chapters, 26 conference papers and nine reports. His publications have been cited over 1700 times.

Dr Kookana’s research on minimising off-site impacts of pesticides has made significant contributions to the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. His risk indicator (Pesticide Impact Rating Index- PIRI) is used worldwide for minimising pesticide impact on environment.

Professional activities

Dr Kookana is a member of:

• the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
• Soil Science Society of America
• Australian Soil Science Society
• Australasian Society for Ecotoxicology.

Dr Kookana sits on the editorial board of three journals, and is also a Science Fellow of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Learn more about Environmental biogeochemistry: protecting our land and water resources.

Publishing history [Hosted by CSIRO Land and Water]

Contact Information

Location

Related Links

• Pollution
• Managing Water Resources
• Environmental Risk Technologies
• CSIRO Land and Water
• Water for a Healthy Country Flagship

• Trace organics and risk assessment: understanding contaminants 
• Environmental biogeochemistry: protecting our land and water resources
• Pesticide impact rating index software
• What’s in our water: the significance of trace organic compounds
• Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research: research to protect Australia’s land and water resources from contamination