Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar Award (2023) — Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (the highest academic honor issued to an individual in Chinese higher education).

Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2017–2021) — Recognized multiple times in both Engineering and Environment/Ecology.

Top 0.09% Scientist Globally (2026) — Ranked by AD Scientific Index, and consistently listed among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists (2019–2024).

Chemistry Leader Award (2024–2026) — Ranked #1 Highest Cited Chemist in Africa / South Africa by Research.com.

Elected Academy Member & Fellow — Member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters (2018), Member of the Technology Academy of Finland (2018), and Distinguished Fellow of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI) (2024).

SCOPE Young Investigator Award (2010) — First Laureate, presented at the UNESCO Conference in Shanghai for environmental technological innovations in wastewater treatment.

Editor / Associate Editor — Environmental Chemistry Letters (Springer), Inorganic Chemistry Communications (Elsevier), Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry (Springer), Water Science & Technology (IWA Publishing), and Environmental Surfaces and Interfaces (KeAi).

Editorial Board Member — Separation and Purification Technology (Elsevier), Journal of Nanobiotechnology (Springer), International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (Springer), and Environmental Functional Materials (KeAi).

International Grant & Prize Evaluator — Jury Member for the Frontiers Planet Prize (2022–2025); Principal Scientific Reviewer for the UNEP GEO-5 Report; and expert reviewer for the European Research Council (ERC), Horizon Europe (MSCA), Academy of Finland, UKRI, and RGC Hong Kong