Dr. Steven Hallam named 2025 UBC Wall Research Award recipient

September 8, 2025

LSI researcher Dr. Steven Hallam has been recognized with a Wall Research Award, one of this year’s Wall Legacy Awards. These prestigious awards provide approximately $4 million to push forward innovative faculty and student research tackling major sustainability challenges in British Columbia and around the world. The Wall Legacy Awards are made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Peter Wall, now exceeding $100 million.

Project Details

Microbial mediated co-digestion of mixed agricultural waste for enhanced biogas production

New farming regulations in British Columbia are pushing farmers to find better ways to manage waste within a circular bioeconomy. Anaerobic digestion (AD), which uses microbes to break down organic waste into bioenergy, offers promise. Cow and hog manure can be readily converted using AD, but adding poultry manure can boost energy output—making AD systems more efficient and cost-effective. This project uses genomics to study these microbes under various conditions in a pilot-scale AD system, focusing on overcoming challenges posed by poultry manure’s high nitrogen content. The goal is to create more efficient co-digestion strategies for bioenergy production within a Lower Mainland collective farming model.

This story was originally published (with slight adaptations) on the Wall Legacy Awards website. Find out more about the awards here.