Nico is a research fellow at the Process and Environmental Technology Lab within the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium). He holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering Technology (De Nayer Instituut, 2001). His ongoing PhD research aims the ultrasonic disintegration of Return Activated Sludge (RAS) to reduce excess sludge in activated sludge systems. His main research domains include (i) advanced wastewater treatment technologies (ultrasonic disintegration, advanced oxidation processes, moving bed bioreactor technologies), (ii) biological wastewater treatment modelling and (iiI) nutrient recovery (in agricultural applications). He has (co-)authored 19 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and proceedings of international conferences.