About the Project
This PhD project, supervised by Dr. Salem Gharbia at the Department of Environmental Science, Atlantic Technological University, will investigate how climate change influences the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) in Irish drinking water systems. THMs, regulated disinfection by-products arising from chlorination, pose significant public health risks, and their occurrence in Ireland has been intensifying due to climate-driven changes in temperature, precipitation, organic matter loading, and land-use dynamics. Building on existing scientific evidence and national concerns about “at-risk” drinking water supplies, this research will develop an integrated, GIS-based modelling framework to predict THM formation under future climate conditions and support adaptive water treatment strategies. A distinctive feature of this PhD will be the incorporation of citizen science, low-cost water quality sensors, and living-lab co-creation environments. The formed living lab community by this project will collaborate in monitoring key water-quality parameters (e.g., temperature, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved organic carbon proxies) using validated low-cost sensing technologies and citizen science campaigns deployed in catchments and distribution networks. These participatory data streams will enhance spatial and temporal coverage, feed directly into GIS and machine-learning models, and support the co-design of context-appropriate interventions. Through the living-lab approach, stakeholders will engage in iterative model validation, scenario exploration, and evaluation of adaptive treatment and source-protection strategies.
Funding Notes
This PhD project will be fully funded by Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and will be based at the ATU Sligo campus within the Department of Environmental Science. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Salem Gharbia, joining an active research group focused on climate impacts and environmental modelling. Funding will cover full tuition fees, along with a stipend of €22,000 per year to support living costs for 4 years.
To be considered please forward a Cover Letter, CV, copies of transcripts, minimum 2:1 Honors Degree in the respective field, copy of Degree Certificate and proof of English Language proficiency to salem.gharbia@atu.ie.
Please submit all documents stated above in one PDF attached document with the name of the applicant as the title of the file. Shared files will not be considered.
