Our Team

Dr. Heike Neumeister-Kemp is the CEO and Principal Mycologist at Mycolab, Australia’s only laboratory for Environmental Mycology (mould and fungi), particularly as it relates to indoor environments.

Dr Neumeister-Kemp was also the Chairperson of the Special Interest Group on Indoor Air Quality for the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ). In 2005 she was the co-editor for the first Australian Mould Guideline (AMG) which has lead to many Radio and Television interviews and explains how she has affectionately become known as “the mould lady”.

In 2007, Heike was the Scientific Advisor and Project Manager on the SBS Scientific Makeover Show “Is Your House Killing You?” which is often being rerun on SBS.

Dr Neumeister-Kemp regularly travels around Australia delivering training courses in the area of microbial sampling, HVAC investigations, indoor fungi, mould remediation, cleaning and indoor air quality. She is an enthusiastic and passionate trainer and has inspired many participants to change to more ecological and human friendly ways of cleaning and healthy living. Heike is widely published in peer reviewed scientific literature and has presented her research at many national and international conferences, the among them the 2008 IAMSLIC: Sustainability in a Changing Climate Conference in Fiji and the 2009 CASANZ Conference held in Perth. Dr Neumeister-Kemp regularly presents free seminars and talks on mould, low impact cleaning and indoor air quality for a number of communities.

Dr Neumeister-Kemp has held the position of Research Associate at Murdoch University and has taught Biological and Environmental Science at University and TAFE level.

Heike’s current work includes large scale mould remediation projects including hospitals and mining sites, overseeing the running of a busy laboratory, product testing, national and international expert witness in key legal cases and research projects on mould and health effects.

Mariam is our Senior Mycologist in our Sydney Laboratory. She obtained her Honours Degree in Agricultural Science, a Master of Science in Plant Pathology (Bangladesh Agricultural University) and a Master of Science Degree in Crop Protection (University of Bristol, UK).

Mariam brings over two decades of experience in microorganisms to the Mycolab Team, including plant and soil borne pathogens, food spoilage and environmental microorganisms. Mariam spent nine years teaching Plant Pathology to undergraduate students in Bangladesh, worked after migrating to Australia for 12 years at CSIRO as a food microbiologist and at Sydney Environmental and Soil Laboratory as a Plant Pathologist. She joined Mycologia in September 2010 as a Mycologist and attended a specialised course in the Netherlands for the Identification of Environmental Moulds in 2011.

During her working period at CSIRO Mariam worked on various research projects funded by internal and external clients, including the Department of Primary Industry, Value-Added Wheat CRC, Arnott’s, Goodman Filder, Master Food and Allied Mills. She has extended her knowledge and skills on various microbiological media, toxigenic fungi, mycotoxins (Aflatoxins and Ochratoxins), food spoilage investigations and inactivation of fungi through chemicals, high-pressure processing, modified atmosphere packaging, UV radiation and Cool Plasma techniques.

Her research outcomes are presented in various workshops and conferences and her research works have been published in 10 scientific papers in recognised journals.

Mariam has sound knowledge and skills in Microbiology; especially in Mycology. She has extensive experience in mould, including species dominance, physiology and morphology which is essential when analysing and reporting about mould contamination. She is a passionate Mycologist and competent to discuss any fungi related queries with our clients.

Babar is one of our Laboratory Technicians and joined the Sydney Mycolab Team in 2013.

Before joining Mycolab, Babar worked for Mycologia Pty Ltd. He has a Master of Science Degree in Plant Pathology (Bangladesh Agricultural University) and gained extensive knowledge and skills in Mycology through undergraduate and post graduate studies.

Prior to coming to Australia Babar worked12 years as a Plant Pathologist at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and 2 years as researcherat the Gifu University Field Science Centre Laboratory, Japan. He conducted numerous microbiological research experiments both in the field and under laboratory conditions. Babar has presented his research findings in seminars and workshops and has published scientific papers in reputed journals.

While working at Mycolab he has gained further experience in mould and indoor air quality assessment, environmental mould sample collection and identification. A fantastic team member, Babar’s special focus is mycological data analysis and report writing.

More details on our other team members coming soon!