The role of insect larvae for the sustainable management of faecal wastes in sub-Saharan Africa

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated individual to carry out interdisciplinary PhD research that links waste management & sanitation with anthropology, sustainable development and public health. The project will adopt methods and theories from both the natural & social sciences and will employ both qualitative & participatory approaches with a significant level of engagement with local communities.

The successful candidate will be based at the University of Stirling, supervised by Dr Richard Quilliam, Dr David Oliver and Dr Kate Hampshire (Durham University) and will become embedded within the ‘Environmental Sustainability & Human Health’ research group, and will also benefit from extensive collaboration with the University of Development Studies, in Ghana, West Africa.

Background: With 2.4 billion people worldwide still lacking access to improved sanitation facilities, the provision of on-site methods to improve hygiene & reduce the burden of diarrhoeal diseases are a significant component of sustainable sanitation strategies in low- and middle-income countries. Combining local sanitation infrastructure with the efficient removal of pathogens from faecal waste can provide a source of nutrient-rich organic material for subsequent use as a fertiliser & soil amendment or as a biofuel to produce energy. This win-win situation provides sustainable solutions for both waste management and increased crop production. However, safely processing faecal wastes in localised settings can pose a significant barrier to utilising and capitalising on this valuable resource. Treatment of organic wastes by worms or insect larvae is a useful way to decrease the volume of bulky materials, and recent research has shown that some species of insect larvae such as the black soldier fly (BSF) have great promise in reducing pathogen loads in faecal wastes. BSF larvae can efficiently reduce the volume of food-waste and animal manure and, following processing & pupation by BSF larvae, the organic end-product can be used as a biofertiliser. It is hypothesised that biofertilisers of this nature can enhance crop growth to a greater extent than organic compost alone by introducing an active and diverse microbial community into the soil. Therefore, the overarching aim of this studentship is to determine the effectiveness of insect larvae to sustainably treat faecal wastes by, (i) removing harmful pathogens; (ii) producing a product that is safe to use as a soil amendment in agronomic systems; and (iii) assessing the cultural acceptability of handling & processing faecal material in African rural and peri-urban agricultural communities.

During this project the student will carry out at least one fieldwork season in Africa which will involve developing methodology for experimentally using BSF larvae in pit latrines, and quantifying pathogen reduction over time. In addition, a participatory ethnographic approach, drawing on a combination of semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, will be used during fieldwork to understand how local rural communities perceive issues of sanitation and faecal waste processing, and how they might be incentivised to adopt strategies that both decrease disease burden and provide a safe biofertiliser product for improving soil health and crop yields.

The entry qualification for this PhD studentship is a first class or upper second class honours degree and/or a relevant postgraduate degree, in biological/environmental sciences, medicine or anthropology. Whilst experience in microbiology would be useful, it is certainly not essential as the student will receive full laboratory training.

This is a competition-funded studentship; applications will proceed according to the standard process for NERC-IAPETUS studentships (https://www.dur.ac.uk/iapetus/). In the first instance, please contact Dr Richard Quilliam ([Email Address Removed]) to register your interest - please email a CV and covering letter with the contact details (including email addresses) of two referees to Dr Richard Quilliam. Your covering letter should clearly set out your suitability and motivation for this PhD with reference to your past experience and achievements. IMPORTANT: Whilst the deadline has been set as the 20th January 2017 for all the studentships, serious candidates for this particular PhD should apply by 10th January 2017 (midnight). If this initial application is accepted, you will then be directed to make a formal application through the University of Stirling PhD application system, and your application passed onto to the NERC-IAPETUS shortlisting panel who will call the strongest candidates for interview.