Funding: Funded
Reference Number: SBIO-2024-005
Application Deadline: 31 March 2025
Start Date: 1 October 2025
Overview
Problematic aquatic species are causing substantial burdens to the production of drinking water supplies. These problems are escalating with climate change, habitat degradation, and biological invasions, requiring proactive management with sustainable approaches. This fully-funded, transdisciplinary PhD brings together academia and industry to develop and implement practical solutions to mitigate impacts of harmful aquatic species, such as cyanobacteria and fouling bivalves, on drinking water treatment. Thereby, it will address global Sustainable Development Goals, including #3, #6, and #14.
A range of species have become pernicious environmental, health, and economic emergencies, being exacerbated by land and water use practices and climate change. In freshwaters, toxic cyanobacteria cause lethal and sublethal effects on wildlife, detrimental human health consequences, and economic costs to drinking water industries through raw water quality degradation. Fouling bivalves such as zebra mussels are further transforming ecosystems and clogging water transfer infrastructures. Innovative management solutions are thus urgently needed to reduce current and future impacts from local to global scales.
This PhD studentship fuses academic (QUB) and industrial (NI Water) expertise in invasion, pest, and problem organism biology with cutting-edge green chemistry applications to develop sustainable solutions. NI Water delivers clean, safe drinking water to approximately 840,000 households and businesses, at approximately 560 million litres every day. Harmful aquatic species can negatively impact on the production this water supply. Research at QUB has recently developed novel control techniques to manage problematic aquatic species, including hot and cold thermal shocks, disinfectants, and TAML catalysts for effective hydrogen peroxide treatments (Coughlan et al., 2020; Marr et al., 2022). The student will develop management solutions which address the following objectives:
(1) Review of existing and emerging technologies to manage problem cyanobacteria and bivalves in natural and human-altered habitats;
(2) Identification of high risk pathways and sites within water infrastructures where management should be prioritised;
(3) Experimental assessment of novel tools, including thermal shocks and catalysed treatments, individually and synergistically under different biotic and abiotic contexts;
(4) Protocols and training between academia and industrial partners for management options and evaluation of cost-effectiveness;
(5) Horizon scanning for future nuisance aquatic species to which our techniques could be applied.
This studentship will include interdisciplinary, industrial training that goes above and beyond typical PhD programmes. The partner has committed to a 3-month placement over the project, which will permit technical training to the student in water management operations and technology implementation. The studentship will be for 3.5 years and any final offer is subject to contract.
Coughlan, N.E., et al. 2020. Steam and flame applications as novel methods of population control for invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). Environmental Management, 66: 654-663.
Marr, A.C., et al. 2022. Biocatalysis in ionic liquids for a low carbon future. In Biocatalysis in Green Solvents (299-316). Academic Press.
Prior experience in experimental design and aquatic sciences would be advantageous, but training will be provided.
Funding Information
Open to Home Students Only- UK/Ireland (DfE)
NI Water CAST Partner
£35,000 cash contribution, plus in-kind.
RTSG – Standard DfE allowance
