About the Project
Faecal waste from livestock can be stored as slurry for use as fertilizer applied to pasture and crops to support production. This can be beneficial to minimise the use of chemical fertiliser, reduce farm costs, increase production and minimise waste. Slurry contains both nitrates and phosphates amongst other nutrients, which can be beneficial for soil and plant growth and health. However, a wide variety of pathogens including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi may also be present in the waste and water contamination is a global concern.
Pathogen contamination within water catchments can originate from diffuse pollution sources, such as direct access of livestock to water courses and run off from livestock manure. Spreading livestock manure for pasture improvement is a useful practice to reduce on farm costs and reduce the reliance of chemical fertiliser imports. However, this practice increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission through water systems if pathogenic micro-organisms are present and approximately 39% of livestock pathogens can also cause disease in humans. For example dairy and beef cattle may harbour E. coli O157 Salmonella and Campylobacter spp, and parasites such as Cryptosporidium spp. Many of these pathogens can also be transmissible to local wildlife, where recurrent contact can increase transmission risk.
This project will involve the environmental monitoring of agricultural related run-off as a potential source of diffuse pollution into local water sources. In particular, it will combine monitoring and analysing chemical, biological and physical data parameters to feed into computer-based end user visualisation systems. This will be done by using a combination of microbial culture techniques, polymerase chain reaction and metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatics alongside the use and development of analytical sensors. The data obtained will allow the student to determine the extent of the impact of livestock as vectors of pathogen distribution and the effects of the environment (weather including extreme events e.g increased rainfall and temperature, and geographical location) and livestock management practices.
This project aims to assess and monitor the effects of farm-related pollutants on Welsh water bodies with the aim of creating an application and dashboard that can help evidence-based decisions at both policy making and farm level. To achieve this, large dataset mining and machine learning will create models by leveraging existing data. To gain accuracy and further insight, data will be validated by ground-truthing through placement of biosensors in strategic sites and regular monitoring. The presence of pollutants will be determined during both data mining and data validation based on the presence of parameters such as pH, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, and microbial eDNA markers in water systems.
Extensive data analysis will allow for the development of a database to be incorporated into a user-friendly app and website. These will provide a clickable map with site specific pollutant relevant information and links to further resources. The application will be available offline and can synchronise once under network.
Gathered data will enable easy and rapid knowledge of potential water pollutant hotspots in and around farm activity areas. This will offer advice to farmers and other stakeholders based on the environmental parameters to enable the mitigation of potential agricultural pollutant sources and drive best farming practices.
This project aims to be a milestone towards the quantification of farm-related water pollution and intends to foster cooperative research efforts to further investigate the effects of farming on water bodies in broader areas such as animal and human and environmental health.
Our OneZoo student will gain experience in the collection of field data, calibration of sensor equipment and data reading as well as laboratory-based skills and skills in computer science web and application design and implementation and their application across countries. You will develop expertise in a range of biological eDNA techniques and sensor detecting technology. You will also develop understanding in the importance of agricultural systems and their impact on the wider environmental ecology as well as developing skills in computer-based app development, website design and skills in large data set analysis. You will also gain experience in liaising with farmers and feed into current and ongoing water monitoring schemes on river systems within Wales, particularly the Afon Teifi and also with the supervisory team in Namibia.
Interested applicants are very welcome to contact the lead supervisor of the project to informally discuss this opportunity.
Supervisors:
- Lead Supervisor: Dr Elizabet Hart at Aberystwyth University. Contact: elh18@aber.ac.uk
- Co-Supervisors: Dr Edore Akpokodje (Aberystwyth University), Dr Justin Pachebat (Aberystwyth University) and Dr Linda Oyama (Queen’s University Belfast).
- External Partner: Dr Theopoline Omagano Amushendje at University of Namibia (UNAM).
Funding:
Full funding is currently available to Home and International applicants on a full and part time basis. International students who require a visa will need to check if they are eligible to study part time by contacting Visa Advice and Support (gehstaff@aber.ac.uk)
One Health for One Environment: an A-Z Approach for Tackling Zoonoses (‘OneZoo’) Centre for Doctoral Training is funded by UKRI (BBSRC, MRC, NERC). Tuition fees at the home/EU rate (£4,712 in 2023/4) and an annual stipend equivalent to current Research Council rates (£18,662 stipend for academic year 2023/4), plus the Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) (£8,250 RTSG).
Application deadline:
23:59 (GMT) Friday, January 31, 2025
Expected start date:
1st October 2025.
How to apply:
Link to the online application survey;https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/cardiff/onezoo-cdt-student-applications-for-2024-25. If the application meets the entrance requirements, the applicant will be invited to an interview. Only successful applicants will then go on and apply to the institution. Instructions for that will be provided after the interview. Information on the application process can also be found on the website www.onezoo.uk.
Guidance on the application and interview process of the OneZoo CDT can be found here: How to improve your application & interview skills
A copy of the student application survey can be found here: Student Application Form OneZoo CDT 2024. This is provided to give you an idea of the information required and the points that need to be addressed.