Innovation in monitoring contaminants of emerging concern in surface water

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) protect our health and safeguard ecosystems. They treat wastewater from industry as well as from households. As a result, influent wastewater includes a cocktail of substances from products we use or release (for instance hormones, antibiotics, microplastics, anticancer drugs, heavy metals). From those, a fraction of such substances remains in the water, some are contaminants of emerging concern (CECs).   

CECs may pose risk to ecological and human health and there is great interest to monitor them to gather more information from their risk. The most common monitoring approaches used do not capture information regarding the release of contaminants with time; and have severe performance capabilities that result in discrete information. The current research will develop a new generation of monitoring tools that will be able to gather information from key CECs. These will involve a deployable advanced material- monitoring device. Hence, the PhD candidate will learn the preparation of new materials and detection tools with an environmental application. These new devices will be as Green as possible monitoring tools. 

To apply for this project, please submit an application for October 2025 entry at this link (How to apply for a research degree (PhD, Professional Doctorate, MPhil, MA/MSc by Research) - Kingston University London) and ensure that you upload a document as part of your application that states you are applying for a studentship and the name of the project that you are applying for.