Find out what our researchers have been up to: conference presentations, workshops, and more
WIRe student presents at the 16th National Hydrology Symposium
The British Hydrological Society hosted the 16th National Hydrology Symposium in Leeds in September 2026. At the event, WIRe PhD student Cerith Rhys-Morgan presented a poster of his research titled 'Persistent Drought & Water Supply System Risk in a Changing Climate'.
Cerith found the event to be 'a great experience to see what recent developments have happened within UK Hydrology research and industrial practice'. The Symposium was a good networking opportunity for Cerith: 'I spoke to many industrial professionals about my work including water companies and international consultancies which was very useful for building contacts.
Additionally, I received a lot of attention and many questions from the current UK industry leaders in Stochastic Weather Generation (my area of research). '
Blessing awarded prize for conference presentation
In September, Blessing Mobolaji (Cohort IV) presented her research at the Better Water for All Network Plus 1st Annual Early Career Conference 2026. Blessing's presentation was titled 'Assessment of Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor as a full-flow biological treatment of wastewater', and she was awarded the third place prize for Best Oral Presentation - congratulations!
Zachary Thompson presents research at the 20th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology
In August 2026, Zachary Thompson (Cohort IV), travelled to New Zealand for ISME2026, where he presented a poster of his research titled 'Activated sludge GHG emissions: Means, motive and opportunity'. The conference gave Zach the chance to discuss the methods and tools used through his research with the other attendees, and to hear about research from across the subject area.
WIRe PhD student travels to Japan for conference
Cerith Morgan (Cohort V), was in Japan recently to attend the Asia and Oceania Geosciences Society meeting in Fukuoka. Cerith presented a poster titled ‘Persistent Drought & Water Supply System Risk in a Changing Climate’. Reflecting on the conference, Cerith said: ‘The diversity of research being presented was very interesting and provided a lot of ideas which I could also use within my own work. It was interesting to see how drought is being modelled across different climates within Asia’.
CDT WIRe Annual One-Day Conference and Summer Challenge 2026
The Annual WIRe CDT One-Day Conference took place 13 July 2026. It was a fantastic day full of talks and posters, giving our PhD students the opportunity to present their research updates to their peers and industry partners. To find out more about the conference, see here.
Following the conference, we went straight into the Summer Challenge with Cohorts V-VII. The theme for this year’s Summer Challenge was robotics and automation across the water sector. Click here to find out what our students got up to!
PhD students travel to Lyon for Novatech 2026
Vladislav Dukhovskoy (Cohort V), Madeleine Tate and Lydia Mahan (both Cohort VI) attended Novatech 2026, held in Lyon, France. This was the 12th iteration of the conference, which focuses on integrated and sustainable stormwater management, as well as resilience to climate and environmental challenges. Vlad presented a talk titled ‘Identifying strategic locations for Blue-Green Infrastructure: A holistic source-to-impact approach considering stakeholder interests’, and Madeleine delivered a presentation on ‘Street-Scale Monitoring of Trees and SuDS Planters for Urban Flood Reduction’.
WIRe representation at Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival
Northumbrian Water held their annual Innovation Festival at the beginning of July 2026, with attendees engaging in a week of sprints, dashes and workshops. Several WIRe staff and students attended, with some giving talks and leading workshops. Colleagues from Newcastle University - Claire Walsh, Jaime Amezaga, and Justine Easten - organised and led the ‘Risk Management in the UK Water Sector’ dash. Attendees identified risks faced by the industry, specifically focusing on the impact of a changing climate on risks. The dash saw teams developing ideas for research-based partnerships to address risks. Ana Amezaga-Kutija (Cohort IV) and Vladislav Dukhovskoy (Cohort V) each gave short presentations as part of the dash, explaining how their own PhD projects are tackling climate change-related risks.
WIRe graduate’s success with Ofwat’s 2nd Water Discovery Challenge
We’re excited to announce that CDT WIRe graduate, Alan Smalley, has been revealed as a finalist in Ofwat’s 2nd Water Discovery Challenge!
Alan will be directly building on his PhD research with his Water Discovery Challenge 2 project. Alan will be leading his project alongside WIRe's co-director, James Shucksmith, at The University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Steve Mounce (Mounce Hydrosmart Ltd).
The Water Discovery Challenge 2 provides funding for early-stage innovations that could transform the water sector. As finalists, The project team will receive financial support and expert mentorship to advance their solution over the next 7 months.
The funded project - the River Situational Awareness Guidance Engine (RiverSAGE) - will develop smarter ways to protect drinking water from Cryptosporidium, a parasite that can contaminate river water sources.
Building on tools first developed through Alan's CDT WIRe PhD research project, RiverSAGE will use multiple data streams to predict when and where contamination may occur and identify potential sources.
Newcastle University’s School of Engineering Annual Research Conference
The theme for this year’s conference was 'New Horizons: How is Newcastle meeting the needs of industrial challenges'. The event was a good opportunity to network with colleagues and students across the School. Congratulations to Vinny Smith (Cohort VI), who won the prize for best Research Conference Poster, which was titled ‘Water quality monitoring: a device for rapid detection of sewage’.
WIRe staff and alumni at the British Hydrological Society event ‘Drought Hydrology: 50 Years Since 1976’
Recent WIRe graduates and colleagues from Newcastle University attended ‘Drought Hydrology: 50 Years Since 1976’, an event by the British Hydrological Society in London. Anna Murgatroyd (WIRe PhD student supervisor) co-organised the event and delivered a presentation looking at the advances in drought research over the last five decades. Jaime Amezaga (WIRe’s EDI and Responsible Research and Innovation Lead), and WIRe alumni Ellie McGrady and Ali Leonard also attended. The event was a great opportunity to share knowledge and encourage collaboration across science and policy, highlighting the importance of making evidence-based decisions in the face of a changing climate.
WIRe staff, students, and alumni attend the 19th Conference of the UK Water Network
Past and present CDT WIRe PhD students visited Cranfield University last week to present their research at the 19th Conference of the UK Water Network, alongside WIRe staff from Cranfield University including our Director, Peter Jarvis.
Edward John, WIRe alumnus (Cohort II), delivered a presentation on 'Pipe Asset Health: The Role of Fatigue Loading and Corrosion in the Evolution of Leaks and Bursts'. Edward is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate in water distribution infrastructure at The University of Sheffield - it's great to see past WIRe students continuing their important research.
Three of our students also delivered Early Career Researchers Flash Presentations:
- Anne Kamau, (Cohort IV), explored the 'Occurrence, risk and formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (NDBPs) in drinking water treatment'
- Polly Grundy, recent WIRe graduate (Cohort III), discussed 'Preparing for HAA9 regulation: Implications and challenges for UK water companies'
- Sam Yeboah Nyarko (Cohort III), talked about the ‘Impact of Pretreatment Strategies on Coagulation and Floc Structure in UK Lowland Surface Waters’
Mercy wins Best Poster award at the 2nd IWA Young Water Professionals European Conference
Congratulations to Mercy Adagayi (Cohort VI), who won the award for Best Poster at YWPEU 2026 in Milan in June 2026. Mercy’s poster was titled ‘PFAS Mass Balance in a Drinking Water Plant’, exploring a new approach to track the movement of PFAS through different drink water treatment stages. The conference was a great networking opportunity, giving Mercy the chance to discuss her research with researchers and industry professionals from across Europe. Mercy engaged in a technical tour of Alfa’s water facilities and the historic Panperduto Dam, gaining insight into water treatment and resource management practices in northern Italy.
Muna Hassan attends AD19
The 19th IWA World Conference on Anaerobic Digestion took place from 9-13 June 2026, in València, Spain. Muna Hassan (Cohort V) attended the conference, presenting a poster of her research titled ‘Suppressing Methane Emissions from Sewage Sludge Digestate’. Muna’s poster was shortlisted into the top 15% out of over 400 posters - congratulations! During the conference, delegates enjoyed a technical tour of a wastewater treatment site near València, and were treated to traditional Valèncian performances as part of the Gala dinner.
Doreen travels to Sweden for conference
Doreen Machibya (Cohort VI) was in Luleå, Sweden, for the 9th IAHR Europe Congress, Innovating Hydro-Environment Engineering for a Sustainable Future: Arctic Waters and Beyond in June 2026. Doreen delivered a presentation titled ‘Estimating Distance to Full Transverse Mixing Downstream of a Sewer Outfall’ in the Urban Water Systems session. The conference including a visit to Storforsen, one of the largest rapids in Europe!
CDT WIRe PhD students invited to give talks at international seminar
Representing the CDT WIRe programme, Linda Alobaidy (Cohort VI), Lydia Mahan (Cohort VI), and Roman Tijsseling (Cohort V) were invited to present their cutting-edge water infrastructure projects at a seminar hosted by the Department of Water Resources Engineering (Avdelningen för Teknisk vattenresurslära) at Lund University Sweden, in June 2026. The presentations covered a diverse range of impactful research:
Lydia discussed her research on quantifying the wider benefits of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), focusing on vital methodology to evaluate biodiversity, habitat creation, and thermal comfort within urban water systems
Roman presented his work on the spatial analysis of low-turbidity data, demonstrating how absolute turbidity supply baselines can be tracked spatially to assess and monitor the long-term performance of assets like pipes and service reservoirs
Linda shared her topology-driven approach using Complex Network Theory (CNT) and machine learning to map, rank, and predict zonal discolouration risks and customer contacts within drinking water distribution systems
The session provided a fantastic platform to highlight how CDT WIRe research is providing collaborative, data-driven solutions for real-world water and environmental management challenges. The presentations were warmly received by the international audience, sparking an engaging Q&A session that evolved into lively discussions over a traditional Swedish fika and cake. Following the seminar, the team enjoyed a couple of days exploring Sweden's beautiful natural scenery. The students thank their colleagues in Lund for the invite and their hospitality: Shifteh Mobini, Magnus Persson, and Johanna Sörensen.
WIRe PhD student leads international workshop
In May 2026, Newcastle University, University of Agriculture in Krakow (Poland) and The National University of Water and Environmental Engineering (Ukraine) held a 2-day workshop in Krakow to celebrate four years of academic partnership and discuss future project collaboration and ongoing research. The first day was spent developing the foundations for a joint application to create a water security-focused MSCA Doctoral Network and delivering training for water managers in Ukraine, in collaboration with the University of Maryland (USA) and Mykolaiv Water Hub. The second day comprised of a workshop and discussions on post-war reconstruction priorities, led by WIRe PhD student Joshua Weatherill-Frow (Cohort VI). WIRe attendees also included Claire Walsh and Jaime Amezaga. Joining the event was Olha Shevchuk, Senior Lecturer from NUWEE who was part of the team who led our Ukraine Summer Challenge with Josh at Newcastle in 2024.
Kaeli Brazier presents research at conference in Norway
Kaeli Brazier (Cohort IV) was in Trondheim, Norway, to attend the 11th International Conference on Sewer Processes and Networks of the Joint IWA/IAHR Working group on Urban Drainage (SPN11), from 19-22 May 2026. Kaeli presented a poster titled ‘Evaluating optical techniques to measure sediment deposition patterns around surcharging manholes’. Whilst in Norway, Kaeli was able to enjoy the local scenery by hiking and kayaking around the fjords!
Freya Thornley travels to the Netherlands for a conference after North American placements
The SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting took place in May in The Netherlands. Freya Thornley (Cohort V) presented a poster titled ‘Investigating the Impacts of Pesticides on the Plant Proteome’. Before this, Freya had been travelling around North America, completing placements at Mount Alison University, Canada, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), USA. In Canada, Freya was learning the software to manage the large dataset of proteins she collected in the lab in the UK. At WHOI, Freya extracted proteins using a nanoflow pump to analyse the amount of different proteins in her samples. While travelling, Freya was able to enjoy the local wildlife, including wetland and coastal bird watching!
CDT WIRe PhD students attend WDSA/CCWI 2026
In May, several WIRe PhD students travelled to Cyprus to attend the 4th International Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control in the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI 2026) and present their research. Mohammad Shekofteh (Cohort V) presented about his research on ‘Understanding the Acoustic Behaviour of Leaks in Pressurised Water Pipes’. Jasper Wressell (Cohort VI) delivered a presentation titled ‘An assessment of innovative approaches to service reservoir ingress monitoring’. Linda Alobaidy (Cohort VI) gave a talk on ‘A Topology-Driven Approach Applying CNT to Identify Zonal and Pipe-level Drinking Water Distribution System Discolouration Risk’. Roman Tijsseling (Cohort V) discussed ‘Spatiotemporal Analysis of Low-Turbidity Data to Assess Drinking Water Distribution System Performance’.
Madeleine Tate presents a poster at EGU26
Madeleine Tate (Cohort VI) was in Vienna, Austria, in early May 2026 to attend the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026. Madeleine presented a poster titled 'Urban Trees and Flood Resilience: Monitor, Evaluate and Optimise' and had some really valuable discussions with researchers working across related fields. On her experience, Madeleine said 'The conference was a great opportunity to learn about current research developments, connect with others in the field, and gain new ideas relevant to my own work.'
Emily Blackburn travels to the USA for the 2026 Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference
Emily Blackburn (Cohort VI) recently travelled to Illinois, USA, where she presented a talk titled ‘Statistical analysis to reveal relationships between PFAS content and catchment characteristics in UK surface water’ during the PFAS session of the 2026 Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference. The event was a great networking opportunity, offering lots of discussions on topics related to Emily’s work.
Scottish Water: Future of Water Quality Mini-Conference
Nick Donati (Cohort VI) was up in Scotland for Scottish Water’s internal ‘mini-conference’ on the Future of Water Quality. Nick delivered a presentation on his research, titled ‘Somatic Coliphage Prevalence in Scotland’. The event was a useful opportunity for Nick to meet colleagues at Scottish Water and share updates on his project, as well as get insight into current water quality challenges and innovations, with talk topics including chlorination, biological activated carbon filters, and regulation
MP visits Cranfield University with Affinity Water
On 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.’
