Meet Sreelakshmi Babu

Email: Sreelakshmi.Babu@cdtwire.com

Academic and Industrial affiliations: Newcastle University/The University of Sheffield, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water

Title of research project: The future of wastewater-based epidemiology

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is a strategic approach for health protection that employs the analysis of wastewater to determine the prevalence of chemicals, infectious diseases, and other anthropogenic indicators in mass populations. WBE works on the principle that any substance or compound excreted by humans or animals, if adequately stable in wastewater, can be quantified, such that one can back-calculate original concentrations produced or consumed by the service population. The use of WBE for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring is among the recent applications and is being promoted around the world. AMR has been identified by medical professionals and public health specialists as a ‘silent’ or ‘the next’ pandemic.

The main objective of this project is to identify AMR using wastewater epidemiology in hospital wastewater. The experimental work includes DNA extraction from hospital wastewater and quantifying the antimicrobial genes (ARGs). It will also involve finding the optimum sampling distance and sampling quantity to find the hotspots for AMR. The data obtained will help find correlations between antibiotics used and specific ARGs depending on the sampling distance from hospitals. This will support Health Departments and other governing bodies to identify AMR hotspots and change management strategies. WBE data obtained will help water companies to modify treatment techniques and monitoring strategies.

A group of people stand smiling at the camera outside in the sun. some are holding rounders bats. one is holding a trophy and another is holding a box of chocolates

WIRe Summer Challenge 2025

Following the Annual WIRe CDT One-Day Conference, we went straight into the Summer Challenge with Cohorts IV, V and VI! This year’s Challenge theme was Water Reuse in the UK.

The PhD students were split into groups, and each team was tackling a real-life case study on this theme - they were expected to provide technical solutions, publicity campaigns and develop plans for potential research programmes.

Group 1 was looking into alternative water sources for golf courses in Anglian Water region ⛳
Group 2 investigated direct reuse of wastewater for agriculture 🌱
Group 3 explored the possibility of direct reuse of wastewater for a new AI centre 💻
Group 4 considered how to recharge a reservoir with treated wastewater 💧
Group 5 proposed water sources for green hydrogen plants 🏞️

To help provide context to the topic of water re-use, on the first day of the Challenge, we had a series of talks by experts in the field:

Geoff Darch (Anglian Water) discussed supply-demand challenges and the potential for re-use, providing insight to Anglian Water's perspectives and goals looking forward to the future as one of the suppliers for the driest region in the UK
Mar Batista Seguí (Anglian Water) introduced the innovation process and challenges - what are the barriers to developing new systems and processes in the water sector?
Heather Smith (Cranfield University) looked at the UK's position on water recycling and re-use, emphasising the importance of communications and public engagement
Thomas Young (TEP - The Environment Partnership) then rounded off the morning with a discussion around international best practice of water recycling - what is already being done? There are a lot of creative methods to re-use water around the world!

The students were then hard at work figuring out how to tackle their own water re-use scenarios.

In the afternoon, Chris Jameson from Inside Edge Media Training delivered a workshop for our PhD students. Chris helped the students understand media strategy, including how to answer tricky questions, make good first impressions, and to channel their 'inner Oprah' in front of the camera. Throughout their PhD journeys, these communication skills will help the students share their research to a range of audiences.

The following morning, the groups of students each had the opportunity to meet with experts in the water sector to ask them questions around their scenarios to help them prepare their solutions.

After working hard all day, in the afternoon we had the chance to explore the local Nene Park and walk over the Ferry Meadows, which also happened to be a good opportunity to explore the local water infrastructure!

On the Thursday of Challenge Week, each group gave Town Hall style presentations. In the audience was a range of experts from industry and academia, as well as Chris Jameson from the media training. The audience asked a wide range of questions, putting the students on the spot, acting as a variety of stakeholders, including concerned members of the public, journalists, industry experts, and charity representatives.

Chris Jameson provided feedback on their Town Hall presentations that afternoon – overall our students did really well at using their new media skills!

Thursday evening included the annual WIRe CDT rounders match – as always, it got a bit competitive; congratulations to the winning team!

On the final day of the Challenge, each group presented their proposal for their water re-use strategy for their scenarios.

Each group did really well at proposing a method to reuse water to reduce potable water consumption for non-drinking purposes. The presentations also included the production of a video for social media, which were all very creative!

Congratulations to Group 1 who won the prize for the Best Summer Challenge Proposal! We were very impressed with their proposal on how to reduce the amount of potable water used for irrigation on golf courses - well done

We hope everyone enjoyed the Summer Challenge this year, we are already looking forward to the next one. A big thank you to our colleagues with Anglian Water for supporting this week, and to Jackie Whelan for making the whole week happen!

Impact

Find out what our researchers have been up to: conference presentations, workshops, and more

MP visits Cranfield University with Affinity Water

Last week (23 January 2026), Mr Blake Stephenson, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, visited Cranfield University with Danny Coffey and Joe Shorten from Affinity Water to see the world-class research being done by our colleagues in water research. Blake Stephenson is interested in the impact of agriculture and soil management practices on hydrology. Affinity Water is one of CDT WIRe’s end-user partners, sponsoring Matthew Pitt’s project on ‘The influence of tillage methods on water transport through the whole soil profile’. Matt met with Blake during his visit, along with Peter Jarvis and Andrea Momblanch. Andrea and Matt led demonstrations of the facilities at Cranfield, including the soil columns and erosion rigs used to research infiltration, runoff, and erosion for different soil treatments. Matt delivered a presentation on his PhD findings so far, alongside Rob Simmons, followed by Danny Coffey offering an overview of Affinity Water’s work on catchment management.

Matt shared: ‘It was a pleasure to show Blake around the facilities and showcase what Cranfield University and its research is capable of doing. I'm grateful to be able to cover some of what my research can give to the wider scientific community, and hope it helps in explaining the potential benefits and caveats of conservation agriculture.’

Roman Tijsseling presents at IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition in Bangkok

From 8-12 December 2025 Roman Tijsseling (Cohort V) was in Bangkok attending the IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition. Roman delivered a presentation titled ‘Low-Cost Method For Comparing Turbidity Data To Guide Drinking Water Distribution System Interventions’. The networking sessions were a highlight for Roman, who was able to make international connections and discuss expanding the scope of his project beyond treatment to tap.

Siqi Xu travels to Kyoto and Manchester for conferences

Siqi Xu (Cohort III) recently attended two different conferences, where she presented talks on her PhD research. At the end of October she travelled to Kyoto, Japan, to attend The 19th IWA Conference on Sludge Management, where she presented a talk on ‘Rethinking sewage sludge valorisation options and pathways via thermochemical output upgrading: a product-oriented analysis’. Siqi then travelled to Manchester in November to attend the European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference, where she presented on ‘Linking sewage sludge macromolecular contents to pyrolysis output characteristics for novel insights’.

Madeleine Tate presents in urban tree research seminar

The Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) Trust hosted an online seminar on 4 November 2025. Madeleine Tate (Cohort VI) presented her research exploring how trees could help reduce surface water flooding in cities. Using a suite of environmental sensors she installed on trees at the National Green Infrastructure Facility, Madeleine is collecting data to see how much water the trees use over time. The results will provide insight into how trees interact with water and respond to different weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall.

Cohort VII go on a field trip to Pitsford Water Treatment Works and the Broadholme Anglian Water Recycling Centre

As part of their Global Water Sector module, Cohort VII visited the Pitsford and Broadholme sites in October 2025 to see first-hand the magnitude and complexity of water and wastewater treatment processes. The students had the opportunity to explore a range of facilities in action, including aerators and storm overflows, deepening their understanding of the infrastructure behind clean water delivery. Site visits like these are invaluable to gaining insight into the real-world logistics and challenges involved in managing water systems, as well as helping students get a sense of the scale of these processes.

Thank to Anglian Water for hosting our students, especially to Steven Smith, Michael Bazylewycz, and Sam Cotter at Broadholme, and to Neasa Revens at Pitsford, for providing such informative tours. Thanks also to Heather Smith (Global Water Sector module lead and academic lead for the trip), Irene Carra (Waste Water Treatment Processes MSc Programme Director at Cranfield University), and our very own Jackie Whelan (CDT WIRe Centre Manager) for accompanying our students and ensuring the day was an engaging success!

Lydia Mahan presents at the University of Sheffield Sustainability Symposium 2025

On 7 October 2025, Lydia Mahan (Cohort VI) presented a poster showcasing her work as part of the Grantham Scholars Programme.

The Sustainability Symposium is an annual event that brings together researchers, practitioners, and students to explore sustainability. This year’s programme featured a range of interdisciplinary panels and talks, including discussions on system change versus behaviour change, the limitations of data in driving meaningful action, and the idea that "if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not doing it right."

The event was organised jointly by the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre and the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, which supports interdisciplinary research and collaboration to address global sustainability challenges. Lydia’s poster was titled ‘Quantifying the Wider Benefits of Sustainable Drainage Systems’.

CDT WIRe students at the 13th Urban Drainage Modelling Conference

In September 2025, Gareth Cotton and Vladislav Dukhovskoy (both Cohort V) travelled to Innsbruck in Austria for the 13th Urban Drainage Modelling Conference where they each presented a poster on their PhD research. Gareth’s poster was titled ‘Real-Time Date Driven Overflow Control in Urban Drainage Networks to Mitigate Environmental Harm in Riverine Systems’. Vlad’s poster was titled ‘Challenges in Modelling Urban Catchments: Integrating Surface Runoff and CSO Response’.

Raman Suri travels to South Korea for IWA’s Membrane Technology Conference

Raman Suri (Cohort IV) recently presented his research on ceramic nanofiltration for drinking water treatment at the 11th IWA Membrane Technology Conference in Daegu, South Korea from 13-18 September. The event gathered researchers, practitioners, and industry partners from across the globe to share advances in membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment, reuse, and resource recovery. Raman’s presentation was titled ‘Ceramic nanofiltration: Creating a resilient future for drinking water supply’. The conference included a Gala Dinner, networking events, and a technical tour to the Gumi Water Reuse Facility.

CDT WIRe students attend CCWI 2025

At the beginning of September 2025, Gareth Cotton (Cohort V), Emily Jane Blackburn (Cohort VI), Linda Sebty Alobaidy (Cohort VI), and Roman Tijsseling (Cohort V), presented their research at CCWI 2025 – the 21st International Conference on Computing & Control in the Water Industry, held in Sheffield, UK.

Their presentations showcased cutting-edge research and innovation in urban water systems, reflecting the CDT’s ongoing commitment to advancing sustainable and resilient water infrastructure through interdisciplinary approaches.

WIRe PhD students attend the CNDS/EGU/TRANSCEND Summer School

In August 2025, Vladislav Dukhovskoy and Cerith Morgan (both Cohort V) represented the CDT at the Centre of Natural Hazards & Disaster Science (CNDS) Summer School, held in collaboration with EGU and TRANSCEND.

During the week-long programme, they delivered short presentations on their research projects and actively participated in a range of sessions—including lectures, seminars, and group activities—focused on Disaster Risk Reduction and the full disaster management cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

The course placed strong emphasis on managing uncertainty and building resilience within complex systems, offering valuable insights and practical approaches for future research and professional practice.

Lucie Bertolaso presents a poster at the Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health Gordon Research Seminar and Conference 2025

Lucie Bertolaso (Cohort III) attended the Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health Gordon Research Seminar and Conference in Mount Holyoke College, MA (USA) in July 2025. It was an inspiring and intense week with high-quality presentations at the frontiers of science on "Engineering, Biological, and Chemical Implications of Oxidative Water Treatment for Sustainable Futures". Lucie presented a poster on her research, titled 'Ozonation of propyzamide and adsorption of generated transformation products to activated carbon'. Beyond the science, it was also a great opportunity to network with fellow researchers and experts in the field, and to share fun activities like kayaking.

Ali Leonard travels to Tokyo, Japan, for the 2nd International Sociohydrology Conference

In July, Ali Leonard (WIRe alumna) attended the 2nd International Sociohydrology Conference in Tokyo, Japan. Ali delivered a presentation on the research she completed during her PhD, titled 'The Complexity of Clarity: Balancing Granularity and Trust in Modelling for Water Resources Planning in England'.

Rachael Giles attends the EBIC Early Career Researcher Conference

Rachael Giles (Cohort V) attended the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre's inaugural Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference 8-9 July 2025 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The conference was an opportunity for ECRs working in Engineering Biology and Environmental Biotechnology to share their research and network with experts in the field. Rachael presented a poster on her research titled 'Identifying opportunities for biological coagulant recovery in drinking water and wastewater treatment processes'.

André Frota attends the Netherlands Centre for River Studies Summer School

In July 2025, André Frota (Cohort IV) joined the NCR Summer School in the Netherlands, which provided an excellent combination of lectures, tutorials, and field excursions on river-related topics such as hydraulics, sediment transport, and morphodynamics. The summer school was a valuable opportunity to learn about the Dutch approach to managing complex water challenges, which gave André new perspectives and ideas for his own research and career.

The Annual WIRe One-Day Conference and Summer Challenge Week 2025

The Annual WIRe CDT One-Day Conference took place 30 June 2025, providing our PhD students with an opportunity to share their research both with each other and industry professionals. To find out more about the conference, see here.

Following the conference, we went straight into the Summer Challenge with Cohort IV, V and VI! This year’s Challenge theme was Water Reuse in the UK. Click here to find out what we got up to this year!

WIRe staff, students, and alumni attend the 18^th Conference of the UK Water Network at Cranfield University

The 18^th Conference of the UK Water Network took place at Cranfield University on 19 June 2025. Speakers included Jennifer Hollands (Cohort IV) - Disrupting Disruptions: Drinking Water Resilience to Chemical Supply Shortage; Edward John (WIRe alumnus) - The Impact of Cast Iron Pipe Fatigue Strength on Remaining Life Prediction; and Peter Jarvis (WIRe Director) speaking with Irene Carra from Cranfield University about their bench scale research project on PFAS removal for the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Sreelakshmi Babu attends the 22nd Health Related Water Microbiology Conference in Amersfoort, Netherlands

Sreelakshmi Babu (Cohort III) attended the 22nd Health Related Water Microbiology Conference in Amersfoort, Netherlands in June 2025. She gave a presentation on ‘Hospital and Community Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance in Urban Wastewater System’. Sree's research is in affiliation with Northumbrian Water, Scottish water, and NHS Hospitals, exploring hospital and community drivers of antimicrobial resistance in urban wastewater using a combination of HT-qPCR, 16S sequencing, prescription data, and culture-based analysis. The conference provided an opportunity to connect with a variety of researchers and industry experts.

André Frota attends LuWQ2025 in Denmark

In June 2025, André Frota (Cohort IV) attended the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Land Use and Water Quality in Aarhus, Denmark, where he presented a poster titled ‘Catchments as the first stage of treatment’ and had the chance to follow inspiring presentations on water quality and pollution challenges.

Anne Kamau presents a poster at the Royal Society of Chemistry #EnvChem2025 - Chemistry of The Whole Environment conference

In June 2025 Anne Kamau (Cohort IV) attended the Royal Society of Chemistry #EnvChem2025 - Chemistry of The Whole Environment conference last week in Portsmouth. Anne presented a poster titled ‘Influence of source water characteristics on formation of emerging nitrogenous disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water’ under the theme ‘Emerging Contaminants’. The poster session gave Anna the opportunity to speak about her research with conference attendees – she discussed how water quality and treatment processes impact on the formation of emerging nitrogenous disinfection by-products.

Zachary Thompson presents a poster at the 11th Microbial and Water Engineering Conference

Zachary Thompson (Cohort IV) attended IWA MEWE-11 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in June 2025, and presented a poster titled ‘Linking activated sludge emissions to process and microbial factors’. He travelled with colleagues from Newcastle University.

Emily Jane Blackburn presents at the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre workshop: Environmental biotechnology for the management of PFAS and beyond

Emily Jane Blackburn (Cohort VI) attended the workshop in June 2025, and delivered an Early Career Researcher flash talk titled 'Statistical analysis of PFAS and catchment characteristics in the UK', which touched on topics from her PhD project 'Understanding risks from emerging contaminants PFAS to surface water resources'. The workshop included a range of talks from PFAS researchers and experts. Emily's talk came second overall in the ECR talk rankings - congratulations!

WIRe staff and PhD students attend IAHR SimHydro 2025 in Nice, France

In June 2025, Kaeli Brazier (Cohort IV), Alan Smalley (Cohort III) and James Shucksmith (WIRe co-director) attended the IAHR SimHydro 2025 conference in Nice. Alan gave a talk titled ‘Implementing a machine learning approach for predicting Cryptosporidium river concentrations to assist operational water resource decisions on the River Thames’.

James and Kaeli delivered a presentation titled ‘Experimental study of the transport and deposition of sewer sediments from pipe systems to surface flows via manholes during urban flooding events’, their work was well received, with strong interest in their PTV results. The conference provided the opportunity to connect with researchers working on sediment experiments. The sessions on urban flooding were especially relevant, featuring insightful talks on pollutant intrusion and GIS-based hazard analysis. Informal networking events also provided a great opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about ongoing work in the field. Overall, it was a valuable and enjoyable trip that will help shape upcoming lab experiments.

WIRe PhD students attend the IWA Resource Recovery Conference in the Netherlands

Rachael Giles (Cohort V), Siqi Xu, and Mark Powders (both Cohort III) attended the IWA Resource Recovery Conference in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, in May 2025. They each had the opportunity to present about their research, and the conference included several workshops on resource recovery and tours of water treatment works.

Rachael presented a poster on her work, titled ‘Biological coagulant recovery: a novel method to increase resilience and sustainability in drinking water and wastewater treatment processes'. Siqi also presented a poster, titled ‘Exploring the effect of variability in sewage sludge characterisation on pyrolysis outputs’. Mark gave a presentation on his work, which was titled ‘Low-energy thermal stripping to recover quality ammonia for the water sector’.

The conference was a great opportunity for the WIRe students to have meaningful conversations with others in the same field, and to see the potential impact of their work!

Pinelopi Savvidou presents at the SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting

Pinelopi Savvidou (Cohort III) attended the SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting in Vienna, Austria, in May 2025. She presented part of her PhD research, with a presentation titled “Predicting the Fate of 40 Emerging Contaminants: A Case Study of SimpleTreat and TOXCHEM”, which provided insights on whether current fate and transport models for organic contaminants and sewage treatment works are fit for purpose.

Matthew Pitt presents at EGU25 in Vienna

Matthew Pitt (Cohort III) had a great time at EGU25 presenting his research as a poster titled: “Understanding seasonal variability in shrink-swell clay soils and the impact on parameterisation of soil-water mass transfer models” assessing the difficulties of the field soils he researches as part of his wider PhD project and representing them in a valid manner within mass transfer models.

As a final year PhD student, Matthew found it was helpful to discuss his research with other world-leading academics to understand the sorts of questions he could face for his Viva and beyond.

Siqi Xu presents a poster at the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre Research Community Spring Conference 2025

Siqi Xu from Cohort III presented a poster titled 'Feasibility of pyrolysis using different sludges' at the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre Research Community Spring Conference in Glasgow, 24-25 March 2025. During the conference she had the opportunity to meet and discuss with researchers from other institutions on the carbon sequestration potential of biochar and thermal chemical processes.

WIRe researchers attend Newcastle University's Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering Postgraduate Researcher Conference

Several WIRe PhD students attended the SAgE PGR conference at Newcastle University in January 2025. Talks included Sreelakshmi Babu (Cohort III), who discussed 'The Future of Wastewater-based Epidemiology', and Ana Amezaga-Kutija, whose talk 'Proactive management of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Drinking Water Catchments' won the prize for Best Presentation!

Siqi Xu wins a prize for her poster at the European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference & Exhibition 2024

Siqi Xu (Cohort III) won the Student & Early Career Professionals' Poster Competition at the European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference & Exhbition in November 2024. Siqi's Poster was titled ' Feasibility of pyrolysis using different sludges' and was presented by Paul Fountain of Thames water.

WIRe PhD students attend the Anglian Water Student Summit

In November 2024, several WIRe researchers went to the Anglian Water Student Summit. The students had the opportunity to present their research:

Raman Suri (Cohort IV): Ceramic nanofiltration for more resilient drinking water production.

Samuel Nyarko (Cohort III): The role of organic matter on water treatability to secure drinking water supplies.

Mark Powders (Cohort III): Ammonia to energy as a key decarbonisation strategy for the water sector.

Blessing Mobalaji (Cohort IV): Nitrous oxide management in a membrane aerated bioreactor.

WIRe researchers attend the UKWIR 5th Annual Conference

André Araujo Frota, Anne Kamau (both Cohort IV), and Polly Grundy (Cohort III) travelled to London to attend the UKWIR 5th Annual Conference in October 2024, presenting their work with posters. A great opportunity to showcase their research and engage with industry professionals. It’s always inspiring to see our students actively participating in discussions that aim to improve connectivity and drive positive change in the water industry

Anne Kamau and Polly Grundy take part in the Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products Conference 2024 (DDBP24)

Anne Kamau (Cohort IV) and Polly Grundy (Cohort III) travelled to Almeria, Spain in October 2024 to attend the Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products Conference 2024 (DDBP24). Polly presented her research on Brominated DBPs, while Anne presented about Nitrogenous DBPs. They also learned about solar disinfection, which is particularly relevant given Almeria’s sunny climate.

WIRe researchers attend the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2024

Six CDT WIRe researchers, Polly Grundy, Ravina Bains, Edward John, Matthew MacRorie, Ali Leonard and Anna Laino participated in the recently held IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition in Toronto. Matthew and Edward presented on their PhD research at the conference while Polly, Ali and Ravina had poster presentations. Polly won the best poster prize in the drinking water theme!

Polly Grundy attends a Royal Society of Chemistry One Day Meeting

Polly Grundy from Cohort III attended a one day meeting held by the Royal Society of Chemistry on ‘How to deal with the issues of emerging contaminants of concern in the aquatic environment’. The meeting focused on industry perspective, regulatory issues and the monitoring of these emerging contaminants. It included presentations from experts in the field on the different types of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, antibiotics, veterinary medicines, plant protection products, Per- and Poly-fluorinated Substances (PFAS) and microplastics present in our water bodies.

Philippa Mohan and Kaeli Brazier present at the International Conference on Urban Drainage

Philippa Mohan from Cohort II and Kaeli Brazier from cohort IV presented their research work at the International Conference on Urban Drainage, held from 9-14 June 2024 at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

The conference was held in collaboration with the International Water Association and the International Association for Hydraulic Research through the Joint Committee Urban Drainage.

Anna Christy attends an input-output modelling course at Leiden University

Anna Christy (Cohort III) from Newcastle University attended an Input-Output modelling course at Leiden University held from 14-19 January 2024. She was also invited to give a seminar on her research for their Industrial Ecology group on 6 March 2024.

Ravina Bains participates in IWA ASPIRE and UKWIR 4th Annual Conferences

In October 2023 Ravina Bains from Cohort II of CDT WIRe participated in the 9th IWA-ASPIRE conference held in Taiwan with the theme ‘One Water for Smart Cities’. At the conference, she presented on ‘Investigating the Impacts of Wastewater Final Effluent on Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production’.

In November 2023 Ravina also participated in the UKWIR 4th Annual Conference held in London where she presented a poster on ‘The Role of Hydrogen for a Resilient and Low Emissions UK Water Sector’. The theme of the conference was ‘Positively influencing the water sector through research and innovation’.

Anne Kamau presents a poster, and Daniel Ruth and Samuel Yeboah Nyarko deliver talks at the IWA 8^th International Water Association Specialist Conference on Natural Organic Matter

In December 2023 the 8^th International Water Association Conference on Natural Organic Matter (NOM8) took place at UNISA, South Africa. The conference provided a platform for researchers and experts to delve into the intricate world of natural organic matter (NOM) in water systems.

CDT WIRe’s Anne Kamau (Cohort IV) presented a poster, titled 'Formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water', aimed to contribute valuable insights into the role that NOM plays in influencing the formation of these disinfection by-products. The presentation highlighted innovative research methodologies, including advanced analytical techniques and state-of-the-art instrumentation, to comprehensively analyse the composition and behaviour of organic matter in various water environments. She addressed key challenges in understanding organic matter dynamics, such as its sources, transformation processes, and impacts on water quality.

Samuel Yeboah Nyarko (Cohort III), delivered a presentation on ‘Natural Organic Matter Removal by Coagulation and Ion-exchange in Lowland Surface Water Treatment: Impact on Treatment and Operational Benefits’. During his presentation, Samuel discussed how pH, hydrophobicity, and molecular weight aid in understanding NOM removal by coagulation and ion-exchange processes, particularly in water sources with high alkalinity and hydrophilic DOC content.

Daniel Ruth (Cohort I) also presented at the NOM8. His talk was titled 'NOM compositional impacts on coagulant demand and water treatability'.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange ideas, and explore potential collaborations with fellow researchers and industry professionals. The overall experience at the conference provided a unique platform for networking, learning about cutting-edge research in the field, and fostering collaborations that will contribute to advancing our collective understanding of natural organic matter in water systems.

Isabel Carneiro and Ishara Perera visit Newcastle University

Isabel Carneiro Cardoso da Silva (Cohort III) and Ishara Perera (Cohort IV) from University of Sheffield (UoS) attended an MSc module on Geographic Information Systems led by Dr Craig Robson, Lecturer in Data-centric Civil (and Geospatial) Engineering at Newcastle University. Isabel and Ishara both identified this module as highly relevant to their projects. This module has proved very popular throughout the WIRe Programme, with previous students attending from UoS and Cranfield in the past. The team at Newcastle arranged a catch-up and lunch session for Isabel and Ishara along with the other WIRe students at the university.

Edward John wins the prestigious Peter Watson Prize for Young Engineers

Edward John (Cohort II) won the Peter Watson Prize for young engineers in December 2023 for his presentation on “Proactive pipe management: Multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron”. The event was hosted and organised by the Engineering Integrity Society (EIS). Speaking after receiving the award, Edward said, “The award has definitely given me a confidence boost for future presentations and it is nice to have my research recognised in this way.”

Read a short interview with Edward here.

Philippa Mohan participates in the CIWEM Urban Drainage Group Conference

In December 2023 CDT WIRe’s Philippa Mohan (Cohort II) presented on a risk based tool that accounts for uncertainty in water quality studies at the CIWEM Urban Drainage Group event in Birmingham, UK. In her talk, titled 'A Risk-based Tool That Accounts for Uncertainty in Water Quality Studies' she talked about how uncertainty in the data we use to monitor discharges of sewage into rivers can alter the understanding of if harm has occurred or not.

CDT WIRe Researchers at the UKWIR 4th Annual Conference

CDT WIRe students Polly Grundy (Cohort III), Ali Leonard (Cohort II), Alethea Goddard (Cohort I), Ravina Bains (Cohort II), Killian Gleeson (Cohort I), Jade Rogers (Cohort II), Anne Kamau (Cohort IV), Thomas Langshaw (Cohort II), Edward John (Cohort II), Dimitris Athanasopoulos-Tseles (Cohort I), Harry Nicklin (Cohort II) and Anna Laino (Cohort II), along with other colleagues, attended the UKWIR 4^th Annual Conference held in London in November 2023. The aim of the conference was to bring people together to promote inspiration and innovation in the water sector.

The WIRe students contributed by presenting their work as posters and taking time in the breaks between sessions to discuss their research with fellow conference attendees from across the water industry.

CDT WIRe Students at Summer Challenge Week 2023

Organised by the University of Sheffield, the week challenged the students to think out of the box and participate in outreach activities that involved engaging school children in educational, yet interesting water related games. The aim of this year’s challenge was to enhance the social skills of the students, their ability to break down complex water engineering concepts and make them interesting and engaging to school children.

An important part of the week was the one-day conference. The day started with a presentation on research impact from Tony Conway, Visiting Professor at University of Sheffield followed by full presentations by cohort I researchers and alternated by three-minute poster pitches by cohort II students.

Congratulations to Lucie Bertolaso for winning the Best WIRe poster and to Jade Rogers and Daniel Ruth for winning the Best Three Minute Poster pitch and the Best WIRe Presentation prizes, respectively. Jennifer Hollands from cohort IV was presented with the Best Student in the Induction Semester prize at the end of the conference. Well done all!

For the outreach event with the school students, two groups of WIRe students went to The Diamond, that houses exceptional equipment, labs and study spaces while two groups were placed at The Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR), to interact with the children. The students at the Diamond engaged with thirty 9–10-year-olds from Porter Croft Academy and those at ICAIR engaged with twenty-three 13-14-year-olds from Yewlands Academy.

The students at The Diamond presented four different activities. One was about how water is supplied to cities, which they showcased through an interactive game of understanding the cost of water supply vs cost of bottled water and by using different sized pipes to depict water flow, and how that affects the flow of water to each city. The second showed the ways in which water buoyancy is managed through an exciting and competitive game of pirates, boats and marbles as weights.

The third highlighted the use of water movement to generate energy, using a mini turbine to show the effect of water movement on the spinning of the turbine. Students talked about their experience of visiting a windmill on a school trip and asked them to compare what they’d seen previously to a turbine they were shown. They also used a handheld windmill, looked at the shape of the curves and asked them to suggest why they were shaped that way. They had a mini quiz that asked them some fundamental questions of hydropower and explained key terms that were probably new such as kinetic energy = movement energy. This proved to be the most challenging one for the students.

The final activity talked about water flows, using rubber ducks. The school children decorated their ducks in any way they liked and using a flow meter, tested to see if their duck flowed fastest from one end to the other. This was the most fun game for the students as they could interact with all the elements involved and make a race out of it.

At ICAIR, the students conducted four main activities. In the first activity, the pupils learnt how to investigate sewage pipes using the full-scale sewer pipe testing facility to create replica blockages (to represent things like wet wipes, fat bergs in real life) and then sent water down at various speeds (to represent normal or storm flows) with rubber ducks floating in it and timed how long they took to get through. They used CCTV cameras to identify items in pipes and then discussed on which of those items are likely to block sewers.

The second activity was to look at water distribution networks using the smaller scale water pipe test facility to understand flows through pipes and the forces involved in a typical water distribution network, ensuring that each ‘tank’ / house received an equal amount of water.

The third activity was about investigating blockages, a follow-up on the sewer blockage activity, where the students dropped rubber ducks of various sizes into the pipes to see which would arrive first at the end of the test cell. There was a discussion on blockages and fatbergs and impact on sewer systems post the activity.

The final activity was about water flow monitoring where a desktop pipe network was used to simulate what would happen if there was a pipe leakage. The students were able to use simple formula to calculate how much water was lost to a leaking pipe after a given time.

After the activities the schools shared adorable thank you cards with the WIRe students, expressing their enthusiasm for the activities organised as well as the pizza that the team got them for lunch!

The WIRe students reflected on their key takeaways from the outreach activity, what they learnt from the experience of explaining the science behind their activities to school children.

The Summer Challenge Week was a stimulating time for the WIRe students to step out of their comfort zone and engage in activities that they normally do not, as part of their PhD. Well done all, you did a great job!

We look forward to another exciting Summer Challenge Week next year!

Anna Laino Participates in the 8th IWA WRRmod Conference

Anna Laino from Cohort II of the WIRe CDT presented a poster on ‘Quantification of wastewater resilience metrics’ at the 8th IWA Water Resource Recovery Modelling Conference held in Stellenbosch, South Africa from 18-22 January 2023.

WIRe Researcher Matthew MacRorie Conducts Research in Lahan, Nepal

Matthew MacRorie, CDT WIRe researcher in Cohort II, spent over three months in Lahan, a small city in Nepal, along the South-East border with India. Lahan is the focus of The Beacon Project, a collaboration between Anglian Water, WaterAid Nepal and the government water utility Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) to improve the water and sanitation situation in the city.

As part of the visit, Matthew and Beacon project partners, conducted 60 household surveys to understand their experience with piped water supply, how they adapt to the intermittency of the piped water and the ways in which they would like the water supply to improve. Along with the surveys, the team also installed smart water meters in the households to record water usage every minute and used a SIM card to transfer that data to a web-based platform to track water usage from the UK. The combination of the smart meters and surveys allows for a greater understanding of the variation in water access within an intermittent water supply network and the challenges of transitioning to a continuous supply system.

Matthew also had the opportunity to trek around the Manaslu circuit and visit Pokhara and Surkhet.

Peter Jarvis and Daniel Ruth participate in the 2022 Water Quality Technology Conference

Peter Jarvis, WIRe director, and Daniel Ruth (Cohort I) participated in the 2022 Water Quality Technology Conference, organised by the American Water Works Association.

At the conference, Peter was a speaker at a session on ‘Impact of Reduced Regeneration Frequency on the Ion Exchange Equilibrium for Removal of Organic Matter and Inorganic Ions’ while Daniel was part of the session on ‘Monitoring the Right Parameters for the Enhanced Treatment of Natural Organic Matter Laden Water Sources’.

CDT WIRe Cohort I Researchers Attend A Scientific Writing Training and Retreat

CDT WIRe’s first cohort participated in a week-long scientific writing training and retreat. The retreat aimed to help the students understand the need for scientific writing; learn more about the publication process; strategies and techniques to writing; barriers to scientific writing and how to overcome them; and also, to learn from their peers.

During the week, they attended sessions on ‘My approach to writing’ by Jerry Knox from Cranfield University and Fran Pick from the University of Sheffield. The students brought a piece of their research work to the retreat (data set, non-started or an ongoing paper) and worked on it using their learnings from the retreat. They also had the opportunity to peer reviewed each others' work.

Harry Nicklin Wins Best Poster Presentation Award at the EBNET Early Career People in Water Conference

CDT WIRe researcher Harry Nicklin (Cohort II), from Cranfield University, won the best poster presentation award at the EBNET Early Career People in Water Conference held at Cranfield University recently. Harry’s presentation was on ‘Understanding domestic water use behaviour using smart sensor-based behavioural interventions.’

Pinelopi Savvidou (Cohort III) also won the best poster award at the conference.

WIRe researchers attend WDSA-CCWI Conference 2022, Valencia, Spain

CDT WIRe researchers Jade Rogers, Reinar Lokk, Edward John and Matthew MacRorie (all Cohort II) from University of Sheffield presented their research from their PhDs at the WDSA-CCWI Conference held in Valencia.

Publications

Research Outputs

CDT WIRe students actively contribute to research on water infrastructure and resilience. See the range of publications and conference presentations delivered by our PhD researchers below. More information about our students' research activities can be found here.

Outputs	No.
Peer-reviewed Journal Publications	40
Conference Presentations	121

WIRe Author	Title	Journal	Date
Charalampos Ntigkakis	Investigating the Influence of Geological Uncertainty on Urban Hydrogeological Modeling	Hydrology	February 2026
Reinar Lokk	Quantifying the hydraulic conditions that govern discolouration material behaviour in drinking water distribution systems	Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology	January 2026
Edward John	Multiaxial notch fatigue of corroded cast iron pipes	International Journal of Fatigue	January 2026
Sam Settle	Evaluation of ammonium removal from sludge return liquor using a pilot-scale microbial electrolysis cell	Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology	December 2025
Charalampos Ntigkakis	Geological Modelling of Urban Environments Under Data Uncertainty	Geosciences	November 2025
Alan Smalley	Data-driven prediction of daily Cryptosporidium river concentrations for water resource management: Use of catchment-averaged vs spatially distributed features in a Bagging-XGBoost model	Science of The Total Environment	August 2025
Christos Iliadis	Evaluation of ULS Bathymetry for Hydrodynamic Modelling	The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences	July 2025
Killian Gleeson	Multi-parameter multi-sensor data fusion for drinking water distribution system water quality management	AQUA - Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society	July 2025
Christos Iliadis	An open framework for analysing future flood risk in urban areas	Environmental Modelling & Software	February 2025
Christos Iliadis	Evaluating the Effectiveness of Soil Profile Rehabilitation for Pluvial Flood Mitigation Through Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling	Hydrology	February 2025
Edward John	An Experimental Method for Fatigue Testing Cast Iron Water Pipes Using Combined Internal Water Pressure and Bending Loads	Experimental Mechanics	February 2025
Edward John	Effects of manufacturing direction, heat-treatment and surface operations on fatigue life in additively manufactured metals: An analysis based on statistics and artificial intelligence	Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science	February 2025
Ali Leonard	The Changing Landscape of Water Resources Planning in England	Water Resources Management	January 2025
Mark Powders	The use of ammonia recovered from wastewater as a zero-carbon energy vector to decarbonise heat, power and transport – A review	Water Research	January 2025
Ali Leonard	Collaborative multiscale water resources planning in England	International Journal of Water Resources Development	December 2024
Edward John	Fatigue failure analysis of grey cast iron water pipes accounting for fatigue strength variation	Engineering Failure Analysis	November 2024
Anna Laino	A logic-based resilience metric for water resource recovery facilities	Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology	October 2024
Eleyna McGrady	Physically-based modelling of UK river flows under climate change	Frontiers in Water	October 2024
André Madson Frota	The use of coagulant and natural soil to control cyanobacterial blooms in a tropical reservoir	Science of The Total Environment	August 2024
Pinelopi Savvidou	Constructed wetlands as nature-based solutions in managing per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Evidence, mechanisms, and modelling	Science of The Total Environment	July 2024
Christos Iliadis	A cost-benefit ‘source-receptor’ framework for implementation of Blue-Green flood risk management	Journal of Hydrology	May 2024
Polly Grundy	A validated reverse-phase LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of haloacetic acids in drinking water: supporting the transition from HAA5 to HAA9	H2Open Journal	April 2024
André Madson Frota	Understanding the properties of activated carbon and biochar for the adsorption and removal of cyanotoxins: a systematic review	Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências	January 2024
Edward John	Multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron	International Journal of Fatigue	January 2024
Lucie Bertolaso	Enhancement of ozonation using microbubbles – Micropollutant removal, mass transfer and bromate formation	Chemical Engineering Science	January 2024
Anna Christy	A dynamic framework to align company climate reporting and action with global climate targets	Business Strategy and the Environment	December 2023
Killian Gleeson	Algorithms to mimic human interpretation of turbidity events from drinking water distribution systems	Journal of Hydroinformatics	November 2023
Christos Iliadis	Representing buildings and urban features in hydrodynamic flood models	Journal of Flood Risk Management	September 2023
Christos Iliadis	Cloud Modelling of Property-Level Flood Exposure in Megacities	Water	September 2023
Christos Iliadis	Urban Flood Modelling under Extreme Rainfall Conditions for Building-Level Flood Exposure Analysis	Hydrology	August 2023
Alethea Goddard	Experiences from a School–University Partnership Climate and Sustainability Education Project in England: The Value of Citizen Science and Practical STEM Approaches	Sustainability	June 2023
Pinelopi Savvidou	Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Reveals Persistent Mobile Organic Compounds with Unknown Toxicity in Wastewater Effluents	Environmental Science & Technology	June 2023
Jade Rogers	Biogeochemistry of low- and high-centered ice-wedge polygons in wetlands in Svalbard	Permafrost and Periglacial Processes	May 2023
Killian Gleeson	A data quality assessment framework for drinking water distribution system water quality time series datasets	AQUA - Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society	March 2023
Sam Settle	Investigating Variability in Microbial Fuel Cells	Biotechnology	February 2023
Anna Charatzidou	Binding, recovery, and infectiousness of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses associated with plastic pollution in surface water	Environmental Pollution	September 2022
Samuel Yeboah Nyarko	Assessing heavy metal contamination and ecological risk of urban topsoils in Tarkwa, Ghana	Environmental Monitoring and Assessment	August 2022
Lucie Bertolaso	Impact of resin loading on ion exchange equilibrium for removal of organic matter and inorganic ions	Journal of Hazardous Materials	June 2022
Alethea Goddard	The influence of 4D landscape visualisation on attitudes to reservoir renaturalisation	Landscape and Urban Planning	May 2022
Christos Iliadis	Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves at Ungauged Sites in a Changing Climate for Sustainable Stormwater Networks	Sustainability	January 2022

Our students receive funding from EPSRC and their end-use partners that allows them to travel to conferences internationally and share their work with researchers and industry professionals globally.

Student	Conference	Title	Format	Date	Prize
Roman Tijsseling	IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition	Low-Cost Method For Comparing Turbidity Data To Guide Drinking Water Distribution System Interventions	Talk	December 2025
Siqi Xu	European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference	Linking sewage sludge macromolecular contents to pyrolysis output characteristics for novel insights	Talk	November 2025
Muna Hassan	European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference	Supressing Methane Emissions from Sewage Sludge Digestate	Talk, Poster	November 2025
Siqi Xu	The 19th IWA Conference on Sludge Management	Rethinking sewage sludge valorisation options and pathways via thermochemical output upgrading: a product-oriented analysis	Talk	October 2025
Lydia Mahan	University of Sheffield Sustainability Symposium 2025	Quantifying the Wider Benefits of Sustainable Drainage Systems	Poster	October 2025
Raman Suri	11th IWA Membrane Technology Conference & Exhibition for Water and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse	Ceramic nanofiltration: Creating a resilient future for drinking water supply	Talk	September 2025
Gareth Cotton	13th Urban Drainage Modelling Conference	Real-Time Date Driven Overflow Control in Urban Drainage Networks to Mitigate Environmental Harm in Riverine Systems	Poster	September 2025
Vladislav Dmitrievich Dukhovskoy	13th Urban Drainage Modelling Conference	Challenges in Modelling Urban Catchments: Integrating Surface Runoff and CSO Response	Poster	September 2025
Mohammad Reza Shekofteh	21st International Computing & Control in the Water Industry Conference	Strategic Placement of Acoustic Sensors in Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Talk, Paper	September 2025
Gareth Cotton	21st International Computing & Control in the Water Industry Conference	Evaluating Rule Based Control for Environmental Impacts in Receiving Waters	Talk, Paper	September 2025
Emily Jane Blackburn	21st International Computing & Control in the Water Industry Conference	Statistical Analysis of PFAS and Catchment Characteristics in the UK	Talk, Paper	September 2025
Roman Tijsseling	21st International Computing & Control in the Water Industry Conference	Enhancing Drinking Water Distribution System Monitoring: Spatial and Temporal Turbidity Tracking of a Network Asset Pre and Post Intervention	Talk, Paper	September 2025
Lucie Bertolaso	Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health Gordon Research Seminar and Conference 2025	Ozonation of propyzamide and adsorption of generated transformation products to activated carbon	Poster	July 2025
Ali Leonard	The 2nd International Sociohydrology Conference	The Complexity of Clarity: Balancing Granularity and Trust in Modelling for Water Resources Planning in England	Talk	July 2025
Rachael Giles	EBIC Early Career Researcher Conference	Identifying opportunities for biological coagulant recovery in drinking water and wastewater treatment processes	Poster	July 2025
André Araujo Frota	International Interdisciplinary Conference on Land Use and Water Quality	Catchments as the first stage of treatment	Poster	June 2025
Sreelakshmi Babu	The 22nd Health Related Water Microbiology Conference	Hospital and Community Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance in Urban Wastewater System	Talk	June 2025
Jennifer Hollands	The 18th Conference of the UK Water Network	Disrupting Disruptions: Drinking Water Resilience to Chemical Supply Shortage	Talk	June 2025
Zachary Thompson	11th Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering Conference	Linking activated sludge emissions to process and microbial factors	Poster	June 2025
Anne Kamau	Royal Society of Chemistry #EnvChem2025 - Chemistry of The Whole Environment	Influence of source water characteristics on formation of emerging nitrogenous disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water	Poster	June 2025
Emily Jane Blackburn	Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre workshop: Environmental biotechnology for the management of PFAS and beyond	Statistical analysis of PFAS and catchment characteristics in the UK	Talk	June 2025
Kaeli Brazier	IAHR SimHydro 2025	Experimental study of the transport and deposition of sewer sediments from pipe systems to surface flows via manholes during urban flooding events	Talk	June 2025
Alan Smalley	IAHR SimHydro 2025	Implementing a machine learning approach for predicting Cryptosporidium river concentrations to assist operational water resource decisions on the River Thames	Talk	June 2025
Rachael Giles	IWA Resource Recovery Conference	Biological coagulant recovery: a novel method to increase resilience and sustainability in drinking water and wastewater treatment processes	Poster	May 2025
Siqi Xu	IWA Resource Recovery Conference	Exploring the effect of variability in sewage sludge characterisation on pyrolysis outputs	Poster	May 2025
Mark Powders	IWA Resource Recovery Conference	Low-energy thermal stripping to recover quality ammonia for the water sector	Talk	May 2025
Pinelopi Savvidou	SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting	Predicting the Fate of 40 Emerging Contaminants: A Case Study of SimpleTreat and TOXCHEM	Talk	May 2025
Matthew Pitt	EGU25	Understanding seasonal variability in shrink-swell clay soils and the impact on parameterisation of soil-water mass transfer models	Poster	May 2025
Siqi Xu	UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre Research Community Spring Conference 2025	Feasibility of pyrolysis using different sludges	Poster	March 2025
Sreelakshmi Babu	2025 SAgE PGR Conference	The Future of Wastewater-based Epidemiology	Talk	January 2025
Ana Amezaga-Kutija	2025 SAgE PGR Conference	Proactive management of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Drinking Water Catchments	Talk	January 2025	Best Presentation
Siqi Xu	European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference & Exhibition	Feasibility of pyrolysis using different sludges	Poster	November 2024	Student and Early Career Professionals' Poster Prize
Raman Suri	Anglian Water Innovation Student Summit	Ceramic nanofiltration for more resilient drinking water production	Talk	November 2024
Samuel Yeboah Nyarko	Anglian Water Innovation Student Summit	The role of organic matter on water treatability to secure drinking water supplies	Talk	November 2024
Mark Powders	Anglian Water Innovation Student Summit	Ammonia to energy as a key decarbonisation strategy for the water sector	Talk	November 2024
Blessing Mobolaji	Anglian Water Innovation Student Summit	Nitrous oxide management in a membrane aerated bioreactor	Talk	November 2024
André Araujo Frota	UKWIR 5th Annual Conference	Catchments as the first stage of treatment	Poster	October 2024
Isabel Carneiro Cardoso Da Silva	UKWIR 5th Annual Conference	Achieving biologically stable / low assimilable organic carbon (AOC) water in the UK	Poster	October 2024
Anne Kamau	UKWIR 5th Annual Conference	Understanding the role of nitrogen in the formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water treatment systems	Poster	October 2024
Polly Grundy	UKWIR 5th Annual Conference	Using model compounds to enhance understanding of brominated disinfection by-product formation	Poster	October 2024
Anne Kamau	Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products Conference 2024 (DDBP24)	Characterization of organic nitrogen precursors and investigation of formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water	Talk	October 2024
Polly Grundy	Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products Conference 2024 (DDBP24)	Investigating the Key Role of Aliphatic Carbonyls in the Formation of Brominated Haloacetic Acids	Talk	October 2024
Ali Leonard	International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition	Collaborative Multi-scale Water Resources Planning In England And Wales	Poster	August 2024
Matthew MacRorie	International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition	Harnessing Smart Meters To Investigate Household Water Usage Under Intermittent Water Supply (IWS)	Talk	August 2024
Ravina Bains	International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition	Water Quality For Electrolysis: Utilizing Wastewater Final Effluent As A Feedwater Source	Poster	August 2024
Polly Grundy	International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition	Understanding The Chemistry Of Brominated Disinfection By-Product Formation	Poster	August 2024	Best Poster Prize
Edward John	International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition	Experimental observations of the initial leaks formed in pitted grey cast iron water pipes due to cyclic water pressure fatigue loading	Talk	August 2024
Charlie Whitelegg	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	Characterizing the Impact of Hydrants on Transients	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Killian Gleeson	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	A Data-Driven Analysis for Understanding and Risk Estimation of Discolouration in Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Paper	July 2024
Reinar Lokk	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	Identifying Hydraulic Conditions for Discolouration Material Accumulation	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Isabel Carneiro Cardoso da Silva	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	Regrowth of Microorganisms from Treatment to Tap in Operational Drinking Water Supply Networks	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Matthew MacRorie	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	Modelling Consumer Demand in Intermittent Water Supply (IWS) Networks: Evidence from Nepal	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Edward John	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	Experimental Investigation of the Fatigue Strength and Leakage Failure Mode of Corroded Cast Iron Water Pipes	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Jade Rogers	The 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2024)	The Impacts of Chlorine and Chloramine on Biofilms and Discolouration in Operational Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Talk, Paper	July 2024
Edward John	9th Engineering Integrity Society International Conference on Durability & Fatigue (Fatigue 2024)	Experimental validation of a model for predicting the bending fatigue strength of corroded grey cast iron water pipes	Talk, Paper	June 2024
Philippa Mohan	International Conference on Urban Drainage	Assessment of Environmental Harm from wet weather spills based on continuous water quality monitoring	Talk	June 2024
Kaeli Brazier	International Conference on Urban Drainage	Influence of grate geometry on hydraulic energy losses in a surcharging manhole under flood conditions	Talk	June 2024
Ishara Rakith Perera	15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics	Current Practices; Gaps and Opportunities in Data Utilization in Water Utility Industry	Talk, Paper	May 2024
Daniel Ruth	IWA 8th Specialist Conference on Natural Organic Matter (NOM 8)	NOM compositional impacts on coagulant demand and water treatability	Talk	December 2023
Samuel Yeboah Nyarko	IWA 8th Specialist Conference on Natural Organic Matter (NOM 8)	Natural Organic Matter Removal by Coagulation and Ion-exchange in Lowland Surface Water Treatment: Impact on Treatment and Operational Benefits	Talk	December 2023
Anne Kamau	IWA 8th Specialist Conference on Natural Organic Matter (NOM 8)	Formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water	Poster	December 2023
Philippa Mohan	CIWEM Urban Drainage Group	A Risk-based Tool That Accounts for Uncertainty in Water Quality Studies	Talk	December 2023
Jade Rogers	Water Quality Technology Conference & Exposition	Material and Biofilm Accumulation in Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Talk	November 2023
Ravina Bains	UKWIR 4th Annual Conference	The Role of Hydrogen for a Resilient and Low Emissions UK Water Sector	Poster	November 2023
Anna Laino	UKWIR 4th Annual Conference	Non-Linear analysis of a Water Resource Recovery Facility	Poster	November 2023
Polly Grundy	UKWIR 4th Annual Conference	Using Model Compounds to Enhance Understanding of Brominated Disinfection By-Product Formation	Poster	November 2023
Ali Leonard	UKWIR 4th Annual Conference	Collaborative Multi-scale Water Resources Planning In England And Wales	Poster	November 2023
Sreelakshmi Babu	The International Conference: Towards a Global Wastewater Surveillance System for Public Health	Developing biomarkers for tracking antimicrobial resistance in wastewater	Poster	November 2023
Ravina Bains	9th IWA-ASPIRE	Investigating the Impacts of Wastewater Final Effluent on Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production	Talk	October 2023
Anna Laino	11th IWA Symposium on Modelling and Integrated Assessment	Non-Linear analysis of a Water Resource Recovery Facility	Poster	September 2023
Edward John	19th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference	Impact of experimentally determined grey cast iron pipe fatigue strength variation on years-to-leakage predictions	Talk	September 2023
Matthew MacRorie	19th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference	Consumer Demand in Intermittent Water Supply: A Case Study of Lahan, Nepal	Talk	September 2023
Isabel Carneiro Cardoso da Silva	19th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference	Use of historic real-world flow cytometry data to monitor biological stability in drinking water supply systems	Talk	September 2023
Killian Gleeson	19th International Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference	Root-cause Analysis of Discolouration Events in Drinking Water Distribution Systems using Time Series Data	Talk	September 2023
Harry Nicklin	SWIG Sensing in Water 2023	Chomping into the attitude-behaviour gap: using smart sensors and goal setting to influence shower behaviour	Talk	September 2023
Harry Nicklin	11th IWA Efficient Urban Water Management Conference 2023	Influencing shower behaviour using real time feedback and goal-based messaging	Talk	September 2023
Alan Smalley	40th International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) Conference	Understanding Cryptosporidium trends in a large UK catchment	Talk	August 2023
Anna Christy	11th International Conference on Industrial Ecology	Avoiding turmoil. Achieving targets. Attempting NetZero: Perspectives from the Water Sector	Talk	July 2023
Ali Leonard	12th World Congress on Water Resources and Environment (EWRA 2023)	Water resources in England & Wales: the rise again of national planning	Talk	June 2023
Christos Iliadis	12th World Congress on Water Resources and Environment (EWRA 2023)	Extreme rainfall and 2D flood modelling in urban catchments to assess flood exposure of buildings. A case study in Thessaloniki city, Greece	Talk	June 2023
Polly Grundy	RSC Analytical Research Forum 2023	Introduction of a Simple and Effective Analytical Method for Haloacetic Acids in Drinking Water by Reverse Phase LC-MS/MS	Poster	June 2023
Polly Grundy	16th Annual Conference of the UK Water Network	Investigating the Chemistry of Brominated Disinfection By-Product Formation	Talk	June 2023
Charlie Whitelegg	16th Annual Conference of the UK Water Network	Calibration of viscoelastic parameters for transient modelling in pipelines with unknown faults	Talk	June 2023
Lucie Bertolaso	16th Annual Conference of the UK Water Network	Impact of ozone and hydroxyl radicals on the adsorbability of micropollutants and natural organic matter	Talk	June 2023
Edward John	17th International Conference on Engineering Structural Integrity Assessment and 2023 International Symposium on Structural Integrity (ESIA17–ISSI2023)	Plain and notch fatigue strength of water pipe grey cast iron	Talk	May 2023
Killian Gleeson	WWT Smart Water	Leveraging Water Quality Data to Support Intelligent Decision Making	Talk	March 2023
Harry Nicklin	Waterwise Conference 2023 – Running out of water – water efficiency’s key role in affordability, growth and resilience	Using smart sensors with automatic timers to influence shower behaviour	Talk	March 2023
Anna Laino	IWA Water Resource Recovery Modelling Seminar	Quantification of wastewater resilience metrics	Poster	January 2023
Daniel Ruth	Water Quality Technology Conference & Exposition	Monitoring the Right Parameters for the Enhanced Treatment of Natural Organic Matter Laden Water Sources	Talk	November 2022
Pinelopi Savvidou	10th Conference of the UK Wastewater Network	Modelling the Fate of Micropollutants during Wastewater Treatment: Status and Challenges		November 2022
Pinelopi Savvidou	Early Career People in Water Conference 2022	Modelling the fate of micropollutants during wastewater treatment	Poster	November 2022	Best Poster
Harry Nicklin	Early Career People in Water Conference 2022	Understanding domestic water use behaviour using smart sensor-based behavioural interventions	Poster	November 2022	Best Poster Pitch
Lucie Bertolaso	International Ozone Association EA3G Conference			November 2022
Killian Gleeson	Water Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring 2022	Linking Water Quality Sensors in Distribution Systems	Poster	October 2022	Second place in the Sensor for Water Interest Group (SWIG) Early Career Innovation Poster Prize
Eleyna McGrady	Peter Wolf Early Career Symposium 2022: Hydrological Innovation for the Climate Emergency	Groundwater Resilience under Extreme Drought	Poster	September 2022
Sam Settle	International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology ISMET8	Heavy metal and ammonia mixture toxicity towards mixed electroactive biofilms		September 2022
Lucie Bertolaso	15th Conference of the UK Water Network on Potable Water Treatment and Supply	Assessing the role of ozone and GAC processes in the UK water industry: past, present and future	Talk	September 2022
Sreelakshmi Babu	Environmental Dimension of Antibiotic Resistance (EDAR 6) Conference	Contrasting Biological, Genetic And Chemical Markers For Triaging AMR Potential In Wastewater Monitoring For Health Protection	Poster	September 2022
Jade Rogers	2nd WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference	Disinfection Residual Behaviour within Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Talk, Paper	July 2022
Matthew MacRorie	2nd WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference	A Model of Intermittent Water Supply Simulating the Inequitable Distribution of Water	Talk, Paper	July 2022
Reinar Lokk	2nd WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference	The impact of drinking water network model spatial and temporal scale on hydraulic metrics indicating discolouration risk	Talk, Paper	July 2022
Edward John	2nd WDSA / CCWI Joint Conference	Investigating an alternative to exhumed grey cast iron water pipes for small-scale fatigue tests	Talk, Paper	July 2022
Killian Gleeson	14th International Conference on Hydroinformatics	Determining the spatio-temporal relationship between water quality monitors in drinking water distribution systems	Talk, Paper	July 2022
Matthew MacRorie	1st Water-WISER Early Career Researcher Conference	A Conceptual Model of the Inequitable Distribution of Water in Intermittent Water Supply Systems	Talk	June 2022
Philippa Mohan	25th European Junior Scientists Workshop on Monitoring Urban Drainage systems and rivers			May 2022
Lucie Bertolaso	Singapore International Water Week (SIWW)	Impact of Reduced Regeneration Frequency on The Ion Exchange	Talk	April 2022
Philippa Mohan	12th Urban Drainage Modelling Conference	Geostatistical Approach to Understanding the Effect of Rainfall Spatial-Temporal Uncertainty on a Small Urban Hydraulic Model		January 2022
Killian Gleeson	AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference	Automated Data Quality Assurance for Water Quality Sensors in Drinking Water Distribution Systems	Talk	November 2021
Ravina Bains	9th Conference of the UK Wastewater Network	The role of hydrogen for a resilient and low-emissions UK water sector		November 2021
Clervie Genevois	RSPH Conference 2023			2023
Pinelopi Savvidou	Cranfield Doctoral Network Annual Conference	Modelling the fate of micropollutants during wastewater treatment		2023
Isabel Carneiro Cardoso da Silva	UKWIR Annual Conference	Achieving Biological Stability in Drinking Water Supply Systems		2022
Thomas Langshaw	UKWIR Annual Conference			2022
Killian Gleeson	UKWIR Annual Conference			2022
Alethea Goddard	UKWIR Annual Conference			2022
Edward John	UKWIR Annual Conference	Understanding how the deterioration of grey cast iron pipes evolves into leakage		2022
Ali Leonard	UKWIR Annual Conference			2022
Ravina Bains	UKWIR Annual Conference	The role of hydrogen for a resilient and low-emissions UK water sector		2022
Polly Grundy	UKWIR Annual Conference	Controlling Water Chemistry to Minimise Brominated Disinfection By-Products		2022
Dimitris Athanasopoulos	UKWIR Annual Conference			2022
Sreelakshmi Babu	Environmental Biotechnology Network Conference	Developing biomarkers for tracking antimicrobial resistance in wastewater

WIRe Activities

Our students get up to a wide range of activities throughout their PhD with CDT WIRe, from public engagement experience at science festivals to scenario-based workshops. See some examples of these activities below. We are actively updating our website and hope to have more recent content here soon. Our students often present their research at international conferences - see their impact here.

Public Engagement Activities

CDT WIRe hosted a stand at New Scientist Live in 2024, having fun with all things water filtration!

The event saw thousands of members of the public visit the Excel Centre in London over the weekend of the 12-13 October, with a day dedicated to schools' visits on Monday 14 October. It was a great opportunity for our PhD students to communicate the brilliant work they are doing to a diverse audience, and highlight the importance of water research to the public.

Activities included a water filtration demonstration, showing how some steps of the wastewater treatment process work.

Thank you to our PhD students for getting involved: Sreelakshmi Babu, Anna Christy, Raman Suri, Siqi Xu, Isabel Carneiro Cardoso da Silva, Mark Powders, Matthew Pitt, Harry Nicklin, and Rachael Giles. A big thank you also CDT WIRe staff members Jackie Whelan, Luca Alibardi, and Peter Jarvis for coordinating and attending the event.

Siqi Xu (Cohort III) participated in the Soapbox Science event held in June 2022 at the Milton Keynes shopping mall. At the event, she spoke to the public about her research on sewage sludge.

Holding a poop emoji in her hand she talked about pyrolysis, and why it is a beneficial treatment method for sewage sludge.

Harry Nicklin (Cohort II) participated in the FameLAB Science Communication competition, where researchers give a 3 minute talk on their research. Harry successfully made it to the Cambridge Regional final of the 2021 competition.

Videos

Blogs

WIRe Summer Challenge 2025

Following the Annual WIRe CDT One-Day Conference, we went straight into the Summer Challenge with Cohorts IV, V and VI! This year’s Challenge theme was Water Reuse in the...

A large group of people wearing business attire stand in rows smiling at the camera. They are outside on grass, the weather is sunny with blue skies and behind them is a stately home. Members of the group include PhD students, academic staff and industry partners who are sponsoring students

The Annual WIRe CDT Conference 2025

The Annual WIRe CDT One-Day Conference took place 30 June 2025, providing our PhD students with an opportunity to share their research both with each other and industry...

A group of WIRe CDT PhD students work with children in a lab setting

CDT WIRe One-Day Conference and Challenge Week 2023

CDT WIRe Students at Summer Challenge Week 2023 Organised by the University of Sheffield, the week challenged the students to think out of the box and participate in...

Challenge Week 2021

Challenge week took place this year from September 12th to 17th in Newcastle, alongside the STREAM IDC. It was hosted by Newcastle University. Cohorts I and II came together for the...

Our Researchers

Meet the WIRe CDT researchers and see the exciting range of PhD projects they are working on below. To see the PhD researchers who have graduated from the programme, click here.

Cohort I

Dimitris Athanasopoulos-Tseles

Project Title: Eliminating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Treatment

Host: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Severn Trent Water

Rowan Pearce

Project Title: Delivering a Resilient Approach to Tertiary Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater

Host: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water, Thames Water

Alethea Goddard

Project Title: Promoting high quality and multifunctional green infrastructure

Host: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water

Cohort II

Congratulations to Cohort II who have all completed their PhD projects!

See our alumni here

Cohort III

Sreelakshmi Babu

Project Title: The future of wastewater-based epidemiology

Host: Newcastle University/Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water

Anna Charatzidou

Project Title: Effects of microplastics on interactions between soil biota, soil structure and crop performance in sewage sludge-amended soils

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Scottish Water

Polly Grundy

Project Title: Controlling water chemistry to improve drinking water quality and minimising disinfection by-products

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, UKWIR

Eleyna McGrady

Project Title: Resilience of Groundwater Resource under Severe Drought

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water

Samuel Nyarko

Project Title: Securing drinking water supplies: the role of organic matter on water treatability

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: Lorch Foundation, Sue White Fund, Anglian Water

Lucie Bertolaso

Project Title: Taking 20th Century water treatment assets into the mid 21st Century

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water, Thames Water

Matthew Pitt

Project Title: The influence of tillage methods on water transport through the whole soil profile

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Affinity Water

Mark Powders

Project Title: Ammonia to energy: A key decarbonisation strategy for the water sector

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent, Anglian Water

Pinelopi Savvidou

Project Title: Wastewater Integrated Selection Environment: A UK Model comprising regulation, resilience and sustainability

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Atkins

Alan Smalley

Project Title: Real Time Forecasting of Catchment Water Quality to Improve Supply Resilience

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Thames Water

Siqi Xu

Project Title: Resource and energy recovery from sewage sludge by optimised advanced thermal conversion process control

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Thames Water

Cohort IV

André Araujo Frota

Project Title: Catchments as the first stage of treatment

Host: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, UKWIR

Raman Suri

Project Title: Ceramic nanofiltration: Creating a resilient future for drinking water supply

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Scottish Water, Welsh Water, Anglian Water

Ishara Perera

Project Title: Data density to predictive power – Intelligent Water Distribution Systems

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Scottish Water

George Crowley

Project Title: Machine Learning Methods for Monitoring of Complex Water and Sewer Network Infrastructure

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Thames Water

Kaeli Brazier

Project Title: Understanding the risks associated with contaminated floodwater from urban drainage systems

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsor: Incorporated – EU research project

Zachary Thompson

Project Title: Quantifying and Abating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Large Wastewater Treatment Plants

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water Ltd

Ana Amezaga-Kutija

Project Title: Proactive management of dissolved organic carbon in catchments to mitigate climate change impacts on trihalomethanes formation in water treatment

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water Ltd

Jennifer Hollands

Project Title: Disrupting disruptions: Drinking water treatment resilience to chemical shortages

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water, Thames Water

Anne Wairimu Kamau

Project Title: Understanding the role of nitrogen in the formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water treatment systems

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsor: EPSRC, UKWIR

Blessing Mobolaji

Project Title: Nitrous oxide management in a novel biological process

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsor: Anglian Water

Cohort V

Cerith Rhys-Morgan

Project Title: Persistent droughts and water supply system risk in a changing climate

Host: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, United Utilities

Freya Thornley

Project Title: Integrated biological system design of catchment systems for non-point pollution control

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsor: Newcastle University

Gareth Cotton

Project Title: Data Driven Control of Urban Drainage Systems (EMS)

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, EMS

Hannah Wright

Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Climate Change on River Water Quality to Secure Future Water Supplies

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water

Mohammad Reza Shekofteh

Project Title: Proactive Water Network Management

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water

Muna Hassan

Project Title: Supressing Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Sewage Sludge Treatment – Supporting the Water Industry Meeting Net-Zero

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Welsh Water, Wessex Water

Rachael Giles

Project Title: Biological Coagulant Recovery for Resilient and Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Thames Water, Welsh Water, United Utilities, Scottish Water, Severn Trent Water

Roman Tijsseling

Project Title: Adaptive Monitoring of System Health (AMoSH)

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: The University of Sheffield, South Staffordshire Water

Tomas Hotzel Escardo

Project Title: Advanced Sensing and AI for Risk Detection in Rail Environments

Host University: The University of Sheffield

Sponsors: The University of Sheffield, Network Rail

Vladislav Dmitrievich Dukhovskoy

Project Title: City-scale strategies for urban drainage to regulate quantity and quality of flow

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water

Cohort VI

Madeleine Tate

Project Title: Peri-urban strategies for sustainable surface water management

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Newcastle City Council

Jasper Wressell

Project Title: Service Reservoir Integrity

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Northumbrian Water, Yorkshire Water

Emily Jane Blackburn

Project Title: Understanding risks from emerging contaminants PFAS to surface water resources

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Southern Water

Vincent Smith

Project Title: Developing an easy-to-use device for onsite detection of sewage in water

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, WRC Group, Northumbrian Water

Lydia Mahan

Project Title: Measuring the environmental benefits and social impact of large scale Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: United Utilities, Severn Trent, Southern Water, Anglian Water

Nick Donati

Project Title: Virus Research in Surface- and Ground Waters

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Scottish Water, DWI

Doreen Machibya

Project Title: Defining-the-outfall-mixing-zone

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Severn Trent Water

Joshua Weatherill-Frow

Project Title: From Crisis to Sustainability: A Policy Analysis of Post-Conflict Water Infrastructure Reconstruction in Ukraine in the Context of Climate Change

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsor: Newcastle University

Mercy Adagayi

Project Title: Track-PFAS: PFAS inventory for risk assessment in water treatment works: sources, equilibrium and exposure routes

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, WTW Corporate

Linda Sebty Alobaidy

Project Title: Big data network complexity and machine learning to deliver targeted pro-active dwds maintenance

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, South West Water

Cohort VII

Gabriella Everett

Project Title: Impacts of Blending Drinking Water from Desalination into Existing Distribution Systems

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water

Joanna Karska

Project Title: Scaling up of innovation in water utilities

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Yorkshire Water

Samuel Garnham

Project Title: A simple approach to tailoring biofilms for effective removal of micropollutants during wastewater treatment

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Southern Water

Boyang Wang

Project Title: Reimagining and intensifying total nutrient removal secondary biological treatment processes to meet net zero targets (NutriZero)

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Yorkshire Water, Scottish Water, Severn Trent, Welsh Water, Southern Water, Microvi

Natasha Chrouch

Project Title: Establishing the potential for improved management of intermittent sewage discharges with nature-based solutions (NbS for CSOs)

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Yorkshire Water, Wessex Water, United Utilities, Severn Trent, Environment Agency

Rubin Das

Project Title: Unveiling and enhancing nature-based solutions for mitigating emerging micropollutants (NbS for micropollutants)

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, WRC Group, Southern Water, Scottish Water, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Environment Agency, Anglian Water

Sebastian Gibbs

Project Title: Maximising PFAS forever chemical removal from drinking water

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Northumbrian Water

Letícia Niedvieski

Project Title: Energy-SuDS: The potential of heat exchange in Sustainable Drainage Systems for decarbonising heating and cooling

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe B.V.

Jacob Roberts

Project Title: Next-Generation Flood Models: Physics-informed neural networks for urban resilience

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: University funded

Dougie MacFarlane

Project Title: Nitrous oxide in the wastewater industry: Measurement, monitoring, and mitigation

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Severn Trent, Yorkshire Water

Reuben Harris

Project Title: Tackling algae and algae-derived challenges in drinking water

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, UKWIR

Lubabah Hossain

Project Title: Understanding the retention and treatment of highway runoff pollutants within roadside bioretention systems – and implications for design and long-term maintenance

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, HR Wallingford

Başak Kaya

Project Title: Influence of weather-induced ground movement on behaviour of buried water pipes

Host University: University of Sheffield

Sponsors: EPSRC, Yorkshire Water Services, RPS

Tafara Gomba

Project Title: Building a Digital Twin of the Tees Estuary to evaluate the resilience of nature-based solutions for nutrient (N & P) capture

Host University: Newcastle University

Sponsors: EPSRC, Northumbrian Water

Soumi Shil

Project Title: Water-neutral and zero-waste oligonucleotides manufacturing for a sustainable pharmaceutical industry

Host University: Cranfield University

Sponsors: EPSRC, GSK - Medicines Research Centre

Meet Sreelakshmi Babu

Research Outputs

CDT WIRe Research Publications

CDT WIRe Conference Presentations

Public Engagement Activities

Videos

Blogs

Cohort I

Cohort II

Cohort III

Cohort IV

Cohort V

Cohort VI

Cohort VII