DrPo-Heng Lee

Po-Heng (Henry) Lee's team pioneers at the cutting edge of environmental engineering and biomedical health, combining hybrid omics with quantum computing frameworks—such as Gaussian Boson Sampling and Variational Quantum Eigensolvers—to transcend classical energetic limits via electron tunneling and gene regulation. Globally recognised for his work spanning anaerobic digestion, fermenation, Anammox, and cooling system optimisation for AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturing water reuse, his team has recently expanded their quantum circuit models and quantum mechine learning to encompass lung and cancer research. Dr. Lee previously held academic positions at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Inha University in South Korea.

His current research applications encompass three main areas:

1. Achieving superior antibiotics and nitrogen removal, producing value-added chemicals, and generating energy through the interactions between microbiomes and conductive materials under micro-aeration conditions.
2. Smart chemical dosing and aeration control for the AI Centre and semiconductor manufacturing applications.
3. Procrastination and optimisation of full-scale wastewater treatment plants.

4. Gene expression in fetal lung under hypoxi and cancer signalling

Henry's team has developed state-of-the-art research techniques, including the use of quantum computing with the IBM Qiskit platform (Quantum bit or qubit) and Xanadu Strawberry Field (Quantum mode or qumode), quantum circuit learning and classification, Gaussian Bosonic Sampling (GBS), and hybrid meta-omics approaches as well as quantum mechine learning. These methods enable the manipulation of microbiomes to promote a healthier environment.

Henry's academic journey includes earning his PhD, MS, BS, and AAS degrees in Environmental Engineering from Iowa State University (2010), the USA, National Chiao Tung University (2003), National Ilan University (2001), and Hungkuang University (1999), Taiwan, respectively. He joined Imperial College London in 2019 after holding positions at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2012-2018) and Inha University, South Korea (2010-2012).

Keywords: Environmental Biotechnology; Quantum computing and Quantum machine learning; Watre reuse in AI centre and semiconductor manufacturing applications; Meta-omics; Open Quantum System;  Electron/Proton Tunnelling and Hopping

Selected Conferences

1. Hsu, Y.C., Chen, N.Y., Li, T.Y., Lee, P.H., Chen, K.C. 2025. Quantum kernel-based long short-term memory for climate time-series forecasting. 2025 International Conference on Quantum Communications, Networking, and Computing (QCNC), 421–426. IEEE.

2. Ho, K. T. M., Ho, Y. L. L., Yu, S., Ho, K. L. M., Zhang, R., Wang, Z., Tan, G. Y. A., Lee, P.H. 2025. Photonic quantum computing for RNA structure and gene regulation. 2025 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Control, Computing, and Learning. IEEE qCCL.

3. Zhang, R., Wang, Z., Ho, K. T. M., Graham, N. J. D., Tan, G.Y. A., Lee, P.H. 2025. Application of the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm for simulating a novel renewable energy production pathway in bioenergy systems. 2025 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Control, Computing, and Learning. IEEE qCCL.

4. Ho, K.T.M., Chen, K.C., Lee, L., Burt, F., Yu, S., Lee, P.H. 2025. Quantum computing for climate resilience and sustainability challenges. 2024 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering. Montreal, QC, Canada, 2024, pp. 262-267
5. Lee, P.H. 2022. (Keynote speaker). Overcome energetics of microbes to upgrade anaerobic biotechnologies. IWA AD17, Ann Harbour, Michigan, USA

Selected Publications

1. Uali, A., Dong, X., Lee, P.H.*, 2026. Hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) isotope effects reveal rate-limiting proton transport in methanosarcina biomimetics for extracellular charge transfer. Water Res. 126570.
2. Zhang, R., Wang, Z., Ho, K.T.M., Graham, N.J.D., Tan, G.Y.A.,* Lee, P.H.** 2026. Microkinetic characterization of ROS-driven methane production through quantum and classical simulations. Environ. Sci.: Adv. 5 (6), 1624-1633.
3. Dornelles, H.S., Tan, G.-Y.A.,* Lam, T.Y.C., Beirns, E., Adorno, M.A.T., Sabatini, C.A., Ustra, A.T., Silva, E.L., Varesche, M.B.A., Lee, P.H.**, 2026. Direct interspecies electron transfer mediated by magnetotactic bacteria. Environ. Technol. & Innov. 42, 104968.

4. Mohamed, Y., Elghadban, A., Lei, H.I., Shih, A.A., 2025. Lee, P.H.* Quantum machine learning regression optimisation for full-scale sewage sludge anaerobic digestion. npj clean water. 8. 17. 
5. Ho, L. Y.L., Pan, L., Meng, F., Ho, K.T.M., Liu, F., Wu, M.T., Lei, H.I., Bhachu, G., Wang, X., Dahlsten, O., Sun, Y., Lee, P.H.,* Giin Yu Amy Tan** 2024. Quantum modelling simulates nutrient effect of bioplastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production in Pseudomonas putida. Sci. Rep. 14. 1. 18255.
6. Uali, A.S., Lam, T.Y.C, Huang, X., Wu, Z., Shih, H.J., Tan, G.Y.A. Lee, P.H.* 2023. Role and potential of the semi-classical/-quantum mechanism of the extracellular environment and cell envelope in Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer (DIET)-driven biomethanation. Cr. Rev. Env. Sci. & Techno. 9. 1-21 
7. Wu, Z.,* Nguyen, D., Shrestha, S., Raskin, L., Khanal, S.K., Lee, P.H.** 2023 Evaluation of Nanaerobic Digestion as a Mechanism to Explain Surplus Methane Production in Animal Rumina and Engineered Digesters. Env. Sci. & Techno. 57, 33, 12302–12314 
8. Rao, R., Hu, J., Lee, P.H.* 2022. Theoretical characterisation of electron tunnelling from granular activated carbon to electron accepting organisms in direct interspecies electron transfer. Sci. Rep. 12, 12426. 
9. Leng, L., Nobu, K.M., Narihiro, T., Yang, P.X., Tan, G.Y., Lee, P.H.* 2019. Shaping microbial consortia in coupling glycerol fermentation and carboxylate chain elongation for co-production of 1, 3-propanediol and caproate: Pathways and Mechanisms. Water Res. 148. 281-291. 
10. Yang, P., Tan, A., Aslam, M., Kim, J., Lee, P.H.* 2019. Metatranscriptomic evidence for classical and RuBisCO-mediated CO2 reduction to methane facilitated by direct interspecies electron transfer in a methanogenic system. Sci. Rep. 9 (1), 4116.