PhD Studentship - Pollution from Source to Cetaceans – Antimicrobials as a Case Study for One Health Wastewater Pollution

Lead Supervisor: Eleanor Jameson (e.jameson@bangor.ac.uk)
2^nd Supervisor: Mark Fitzsimons (m.fitzsimons@plymouth.ac.uk)
Associate Partner: Natural Resources Wales (https://cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/?lang=en) 

Project description

Marine ecosystems are of immense ecological and economic significance, under increasing threat from poorly understood pharmaceutical pollution. This project will addressing critical knowledge gaps in the persistence, accumulation, and impact of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in marine food chains.

Using extensive datasets from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), chemical data, and a marine mammal tissue bank the project will bridge gaps in understanding of antibiotic pollution in marine ecosystems. The student will use bioinformatics to analyse sequence data for antibiotic degradation pathways, and chemical data from wastewater, environmental and stranding samples. Integrating this data will guide targeted analysis of tissue bank samples, and new stranding, water and sediment samples. Fieldwork will focus on the well-studied Conwy outflow, in proximity to wastewater overflows. The student will use proven methods to assess antibiotics, degradation products and AMR.

Aims and objectives

Investigate the persistence, accumulation, and impact of antibiotics and AMR on the marine ecosystem in North Wales.

Characterise antibiotic and AMR pathways in WWTPs (WasteWater Treatment Plants). Analyse metagenomic data from WWTPs across Wales to identify the types and prevalence of antibiotic degradation pathways. Identify the bacteria carrying AMR genes and assess potential to persistence in marine ecosystems.

Compile and integrate of diverse datasets. Consolidate data on antibiotic and AMR pollution, including wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), prescribing data, marine mammal strandings and passive sampling.

Field sampling to fill knowledge gaps. Identify key gaps in the existing data and sites for passive sampler deployment and sampling.

Identify persistent antibiotics. Quantify, and characterise persistent antibiotics in WWTP, marine environment and mammals, using existing data, fieldwork and laboratory experiments.

Investigate pollutant interactions. Assess interactions, antagonistic impacts and parallels between antibiotics and other pollutants in marine ecosystems.

Recommendations for mitigation and management. Generate evidence-based recommendations for antibiotic pollution in marine ecosystems, including strategies for reducing contamination at source and safeguarding ecosystem health. 

Training

Training will be provided on concepts and methodologies, of each relevant discipline, to ensure the student has a solid grounding in communication, microbiology, data analysis, bioinformatics, chemistry, marine ecology, behaviour, and policy. The training will be consist of formal courses and practical skills, benefitting from diverse expertise in the supervisor team. The student will undertake EDI training, to enable them to host an In2Science/Nuffield student to promote science careers to people form underprivileged backgrounds.

Project structure

Collaboration among BU (Bangor University), ZSL (Zoological Society of London), UoP (University of Plymouth), and NRW (Natural Resources Wales), is central to the project's success.

• Literature review to understand the background.
• Bioinformatics analysis of AMR in wastewater datasets, BU.
• Gap analysis, BU. 
• Placement at NRW – operations, policy, and environmental chemistry. 
• AMR analysis of marine mammal tissue samples, ZSL. 
• Analytical chemistry of field and tissue samples, UoP.

Supervisory team

Dr Ellie Jameson is a microbial ecologist at BU, Professor Mark Fitzsimons is an environmental chemist at UoP, Dr James Waggitt is a marine ecologist at BU, Dr Rosie Williams is an ecotoxicologist at ZSL and Thomaz Andrade is a water policy advisor at NRW. 

For more information visit the CDT SuMMeR Website: www.plymouth.ac.uk/cdt-summer

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