About the Project
Overview of the Research:
Chemical pollution can severely affect river health by introducing toxins (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals like PFAS) that harm aquatic life impacting biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health through recreational use and drinking water contamination. Even low levels of persistent chemicals have long-term negative effects, with Environment Agency reports showing no English river is in good chemical health. Immediate action is necessary to provide the evidence needed to trigger policy, technological and societal interventions.
Using a combination of chemical fingerprints, statistical modelling and geospatial data, this studentship will identify and quantify specific origins (e.g. industrial, agricultural, domestic or natural sources) of pollutants found in rivers. This studentship will deliver a One Health framework that captures the heterogeneity of multi-chemical exposure in urban river environments which is critical for the development of informed, evidence-based regulatory frameworks for public and environmental health protection.
The project will:
1.Using new Bath’s Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems Mass Spectrometry Facility (including state-of-the-art analytical separation approaches: e.g. liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography with powerful targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry techniques: QQQ, QTOF-HRMS, MRT), undertake fingerprinting of river water samples to provide catchment level chemical identity profiles.
2. Establish spatiotemporal trends in chemical profiles across the rivers.
3. Undertake risk assessment, estimate environmental and public health burden from selected hazardous chemical groups and identify pollution hotspots for evidence-driven One Health interventions.
The successful candidate will work alongside a postdoctoral researcher and data engineer (focussed on building of Cam and Wellow One Health digital platform) towards the development and application of the approach as a measure of river health status in the studied region and tool for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. A Cam and Wellow One Health platform is an integrated information and decision-support technology designed to support the collaborative and multisectoral sharing, analysis and geo-spatial insights of data across human and environmental health. Its purpose is to provide a unified understanding of complex, interconnected health challenges to enable data-driven strategies for prevention, prediction, and coordinated response.
This project is supported by Wessex Water and it feeds into the wider Cam and Wellow Partnership including Bath and East Somerset Council and Bristol Avon Rivers Trust.
This studentship is one of two currently advertised within the Cam and Wellow programme to be based in a growing and well-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.
The student will receive training in a range of modern analytical techniques and data handling approaches. In addition, he/she will join an interdisciplinary team at CWBE with critical research expertise in the area and excellent research infrastructure. Experience with academic/government/industrial research (e.g. potential secondment), interdisciplinary and international collaboration, and development of legislation (e.g., public health policy) will provide an exciting opportunity for further professional development.
Project keywords: Water, pollution, environmental chemistry, one health, sustainability, pharmaceuticals, analytical chemistry
Candidate Requirements:
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent) in a relevant 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 Prof Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern.
Formal applications should be submitted via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Chemistry 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.
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.
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.
Funding Notes
Candidates may be considered for a University of Bath studentship tenable for 4 years. Funding covers tuition fees, a stipend (£20,780 p/a in 2025/6) and access to a training support budget.
Studentships are open to both Home and exceptional International students; however, International applicants should note that funding does NOT cover the cost of moving to the UK, obtaining a student visa (View Website) or payment of the UK healthcare surcharge (View Website).
References
Brack, W., D. B. Culleres, A. B. A. Boxall, H. Budzinski, S. Castiglioni, A. Covaci, V. Dulio, B. I. Escher, P. Fantke, F. Kandie, D. Fatta-Kassinos, F. J. Hernandez, K. Hilscherova, J. Hollender, H. Hollert, A. Jahnke, B. Kasprzyk-Hordern, S. J. Khan, A. Kortenkamp, K. Kummerer, B. Lalonde, M. H. Lamoree, Y. Levi, P. A. L. Martin, C. C. Montagner, C. Mougin, T. Msagati, J. Oehlmann, L. Posthuma, M. Reid, M. Reinhard, S. D. Richardson, P. Rostkowski, E. Schymanski, F. Schneider, J. Slobodnik, Y. Shibata, S. A. Snyder, F. F. Sodre, I. Teodorovic, K. V. Thomas, G. A. Umbuzeiro, P. H. Viet, K. G. Yew-Hoong, X. W. Zhang, and E. Zuccato. 2022. “One planet: one health. A call to support the initiative on a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste.” Environmental Sciences Europe 34 (1). doi: 10.1186/s12302-022-00602-6.
Elliss, H., Proctor, K., Robertson, M., Bagnall, J., & Kasprzyk-Hordern, B. (2025). A new wide-scope, multi-biomarker wastewater-based epidemiology analytical method to monitor the health and well-being of inhabitants at a metropolitan scale. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 417(26), 5983-6005.
Byrnes, N. A., Silvester, R., Cross, G., Weightman, A. J., Jones, D. L., & Kasprzyk-Hordern, B. (2025). Assessing the risk of antimicrobial resistance and potential environmental harm through national-scale surveillance of antimicrobials in hospital and community wastewater. Environment International, 109606.
Hawkins, E., Robertson, M., Bagnall, J., & Kasprzyk-Hordern, B. (2025). Endocrine disruptors and antimicrobial agents in an intercity study in England: Towards holistic environmental and public exposure assessment using water-based epidemiology and retrospective mass spectra data mining. Environment International, 109534.
Lopardo, L., A. Rydevik and B. Kasprzyk-Hordern (2019). “A new analytical framework for multi-residue analysis of chemically diverse endocrine disruptors in complex environmental matrices utilising ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.” Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 411(3): 689-704.
Proctor, K., B. Petrie, L. Lopardo, D. C. Muñoz, J. Rice, R. Barden, T. Arnot and B. Kasprzyk-Hordern (2021). “Micropollutant fluxes in urban environment – A catchment perspective.” J Hazard Mater 401: 123745.
