About the Project
This project is in great alignment with Wessex Water’s (WW) urgent need and interest in monitoring microbiological water quality for protection of swimmers, especially during Spring/Summertime. Extensive investigations done at Warleigh Weir, Bath helped better understand the bathing water quality based on the current E.coli and intestinal enterococci standards, and the opportunity to provide real time information to swimmers.
Overview of the Research:
Monitoring the microbiological quality of surface waters currently relies on conventional methods that are slow, costly, and lack real-time capability. Testing delays—often over 72 hours—create windows for human exposure to pathogens. With waterborne diseases on the rise due to increased recreational water use, there is an urgent need for rapid, near-real-time biosensing strategies.
This PhD project will develop advanced, portable, and power-free microfluidic tools for detecting pathogens in bathing waters. Building on recent innovations by the supervisory team, this includes low-cost “dip stick” and “microfluidic siphon” devices capable of culturing bacteria or purifying DNA/RNA without lab infrastructure. Electrochemical detection will also be incorporated if needed.
Initial work will target same-day detection of E. coli and intestinal enterococci, with potential to expand to norovirus, cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Campylobacter—key pathogens flagged by the Chief Medical Officer. Depending on pathogen, samples will be enriched in microcapillaries or processed using gravity-driven microfluidic devices and magnetic microbeads for nucleic acid purification and on-field LAMP detection.
The project is based in the Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE) at the University of Bath. Field-testing will be conducted at sites including Cam/Wellow Brook, the River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford, and Warleigh Weir on the River Avon—where industrial partner, Wessex Water, is pioneering real-time water quality monitoring with machine learning. Their sensor and lab-based datasets will support robust benchmarking of the biosensing technologies.
Key project aims include:
- Developing near-source microfluidic devices for phenotypic and genotypic testing.
- Demonstrating real-time testing utility versus current infrequent lab analysis in key locations across the region (rivers Cam/Wellow Brook , Frome, and Avon)
- Benchmarking against conventional microbiological methods.
- Identifying optimal sampling frequency for public health protection.
- Integrating sensor data with online data for Warleigh Weir and other sites.
- Expanding detection capabilities to a broader range of pathogens beyond E. coli.
This multidisciplinary project combines expertise in point-of-care testing (Nuno M. Reis), water epidemiology (Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern), and environmental strategy (Ruth Barden. Applicants should hold a strong undergraduate degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline.
Join our recently funded Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection. Become part of an exciting journey developing future early warning systems for environmental and public health protection.
Candidate Requirements:
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a similar subject. A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.
Non-UK applicants must meet the programme’s English language requirement by the application deadline.
Enquiries and Applications:
Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be directed to Dr Nuno Reis nmr39@bath.ac.uk
Formal applications should be submitted via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Chemical Engineering prior to the closing date of this advert.
IMPORTANT:
When completing the application form:
1. In the Funding your studies section, select ‘University of Bath URSA’ as the studentship for which you are applying.
2. In the Your PhD project section, quote the project title of this project and the name of the lead supervisor in the appropriate boxes.
Failure to complete these two steps will cause delays in processing your application and may cause you to miss the deadline.
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
We value a diverse research environment and aim to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.
PLEASE BE AWARE: Applications for this project may close earlier than the advertised deadline if a suitable candidate is found. We therefore recommend that you contact the lead supervisor prior to applying and submit your formal application as early as possible.
Funding Notes
Candidates may be considered for a University of Bath studentship tenable for 3.5 years. Funding covers tuition fees, a stipend (£19,237 p/a in 2024/5) and access to a training support budget.
References
[1] Ianniello C., Sero J., Gough D., Kasprzyk-Hordern B., Reis N. M (2025). DNA extraction from bacteria using a gravity-driven microcapillary siphon. Lab on a Chip, 2025, DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00735B
[2] Needs S.H., Pivetal J., Hayward J., Kidd S.P., Lam HY, Diep T., Gill K., Woodward M., Reis N.M., Edwards A.D. (2023). Moving microcapillary antibiotic susceptibility testing (mcAST) towards the clinic: unravelling kinetics of detection of uropathogenic E. coli, mass-manufacturing and usability for detection of urinary tract infections in human urine. Sensors and Diagnostics, 2(3): 736-750. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2sd00138a.
[3] Ianniello C., Kasprzyk-Hordern B., Reis N.M. Critical review of challenges and opportunities for portable nucleic acid testing in water sources (2024) Chemical Engineering Journal, 497, art. no. 154362. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.154362
[4] Reis N.M., Needs S.H., Jegouic S.M., Gill K.K., Sirivisoot S., Howard S., Kempe J., Bola S., Al-Hakeem K., Jones I.M., Prommool T., Luangaram P., Avirutnan P., Puttikhunt C., Edwards A.D. Gravity-Driven Microfluidic Siphons: Fluidic Characterization and Application to Quantitative Immunoassays (2021) ACS Sensors, 6 (12), pp. 4338 – 4348. DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c01524
[5] Akhras N., Singh G., Gill K.K., Bola S., Al-Hakeem K., Reis N.M. Numerical modeling and experimental validation of fluid flow in micro- and meso-fluidic siphons (2024) Frontiers in Chemical Engineering, 6, art. no. 1443949. DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2024.1443949
