Dr Tom Curran is a lecturer in the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering and Director of the MSc Environmental Technology Programme at University College Dublin. As a Fulbright-TechImpact Scholar, he will be hosted by North Carolina State University to develop an early warning system for sewer network blockages caused by ‘fatbergs’. In recent years, Dr Curran has developed a European wide reputation as a specialist in ‘fatbergs’ and has made frequent media contributions on this issue.