School of Natural Sciences
Established in 1884, Bangor University is steeped in history and is a strong, confident institution recognised regionally, nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence for its varied portfolio of teaching and research, and for the unique, multicultural, inclusive experience it provides for its staff and students. We are renowned for our world-leading research and our lecturers are experts in their field. Bangor University has a long tradition of academic excellence and a strong focus on the student experience. The School of Environmental and Natural Sciences offers a broad range of opportunities for those interested in subject areas across the natural sciences. We have an international reputation in research and offer a diversity of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes on topics relating to Agriculture, Biology, Conservation, Environmental Science, Geography, Forestry and Zoology.
Meet the Bangor University team
Peter Golyshin
Peter Golyshin is Professor of Environmental Genomics and Director of the Centre for Environmental Biotechnology (CEB) at Bangor University, a major investment from the UK and EU. His research focuses on exploring natural microbial diversity for applications in bioremediation and biotechnology, including biodegradation of organic pollutants and prospecting for novel enzymes for industrial applications. Peter has an outstanding record in the fields of metagenomics, microbial biodiversity and application of OMICS approaches to study extremophiles, oil-degrading bacteria, and pollutant-degrading microorganisms with over 200 papers published in peer-reviewed journals including numerous publications on metagenome-based enzyme discovery and novel industrial enzymes.
PG will be coordinating and supervising the Bangor University research on microbial engineering and environmental pollutant bioremediation related to Theme 2 (Environmental bioremediation, Cluster 2: Engineering microorganisms to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants) and Theme 3 (Wastewater and waste management, Cluster 5: Biorecovery of metals), as well as to Technical Pillar 3 (Host and consortia engineering).
Alexander Yakunin
Alexander Yakunin is Professor in Enzyme Discovery and Application at BU and CEB. His research focuses on activity-based enzyme discovery using enzymatic screens, biochemical and structural characterization of novel enzymes, and protein engineering for applications in bioremediation and biotechnology. Prof Alexander Yakunin has published over 180 peer-reviewed research articles including recent works on discovery and characterization of novel enzymes (hydrolases and oxidoreductases) for degrading fluorochemicals and organic polymers, as well as metal-binding proteins.
Alexander Yakunin will be involved in research on enzyme discovery and engineering for pollutant degradation and metal recovery within Theme 2 (Cluster 2) and Theme 3 (Cluster 5).
Davey Jones
Davey Jones is Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health at BU. His research focuses on nutrient cycling and human pathogens with emphasis on wastewater-based epidemiology, rapid pathogen detection and sustainable agricultural systems. Davey has published over 700 peer-reviewed journal articles, and his broad research portfolio includes numerous projects from natural sciences through to social sciences including carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions, soil microbial diversity, soil and freshwater ecosystems, microplastics pollution and viral pathogens in urban, agricultural, freshwater and marine ecosystems.
On EBIC, Davey Jones will be involved in microcosm and field trials of organic pollutant degradation and general kinetics of carbon utilization within Theme 2 (Cluster 2).
Life Sciences
In 2016, Brunel University London celebrated 50 years as a university. However, our history can be traced back much further to 1798 through our predecessor colleges of Borough Road College, Maria Grey College, Shoreditch College and the West London Institute of Higher Education and as well as through Acton Technical College then Brunel College. Our rise since 1966 has been impressive and our reputation grows year on year. Now a university of 12,746 students – 3,309 students engaged in postgraduate and research study – our special approach is to combine academic rigour with the practical, entrepreneurial and imaginative approach pioneered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Our research seeks to bring meaningful change to society; and empowers our students to lead that charge. That means tackling the major scientific and economic challenges facing the modern world, and delivering a world-class, research-informed education in all our subjects.
Meet the Brunel University London team
Ronan McCarthy
Ronan McCarthy is a Reader in Biomedical Sciences at Brunel University London. In autumn 2010, Ronan was awarded an Irish Research Council PhD Scholarship to study novel biofilm inhibition strategies against the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lab of Professor Fergal O’Gara. In 2014, Ronan joined the research group of Professor Alain Filloux at the MRC Centre for Bacteriology and Infection at Imperial College London. As a Postdoctoral Research Associate, Ronan interrogated the second messenger signalling cascades that govern the biofilm mode of growth in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Ronan then joined the Microbiology Department at the Animal and Plant Health Agency where he used host transcriptomics and pathway analysis to profile the host response to infection. He joined the Biosciences Division in Brunel University to continue his analysis of the regulatory networks that govern pathogenicity, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation in the Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. In 2021, Ronan was awarded a BBSRC New Investigator Award to study the regulation of desiccation tolerance and biofilm formation in Acinetobacter baumannii and to identify compounds that could disrupt these survival mechanisms. He has also expanded into the field of biofilm engineering, using synthetic biology approaches to give control over bacterial biofilm formation and using these tools to tackle environmental challenges such as plastic waste.
Ronan is championing EBIC’s Technical Pillar 2 on Biomolecular engineering, Technical Pillar 4 on Data science/mind map systems biology under Theme 2 focusing on Environmental bioremediation. He will also lead Cluster 3 on Engineering living biofilms for continuous capture of a wide range of pollutants in natural water environments.
School of Water, Energy and Environment
Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university. The university’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. We work in partnership with business, academia, governments and other organisations to develop and deliver applied research and innovative education in science, technology, engineering, and management. Cranfield’s distinctive expertise is in its deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world. Our education portfolio is renowned for its relevance to business and industry, and we are the largest UK provider of master’s-level graduates in engineering and offer a flagship MBA, extensive world-class customised executive education and professional development programmes. Our work informs government policy and leads the way in producing cutting edge new technologies and products in partnership with industry. The research and consultancy we carry out for industry, government and business provides our students with a real-world learning environment, allowing them to develop as professionals and then transfer their knowledge to the global economy.
Meet the Cranfield University team
Prof. Frederic Coulon
Prof. Frederic Coulon is internationally recognised for his expertise in environmental chemistry and microbiology, with a distinguished career dedicated to addressing environmental challenges across water, waste, and soil ecosystems in diverse climatic regions, includingpolar and temperate environments. Holding a Chair in Environmental Chemistry & Microbiology at Cranfield University (UK), he leads the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC), dedicated to leveraging biological engineering for environmental solutions. His research achievements address international priorities under the umbrella of the Water-Soil-Waste nexus across sectors and scales. His work is premised on the understanding that environmental resources are inextricably intertwined and therefore there is a need of advancing a nexus approach to enable integrated and sustainable management of water, soil and waste systems. His research further influenced policy development, waste disposal strategies and provided pragmatic, risk-based solutions for the management of contaminated environments. His commitment to advancing scientific understanding and translating research into actionable measures contributes to his status as a leading researcher in environmental biotechnology, shaping the innovation, debate and implementation of environmental stewardship worldwide.
Frederic Coulon is EBIC’s Lead and Chair of the EBIC Management Board.
Vinod Kumar
Dr Vinod Kumar is a Senior Lecturer in Microbial Technology and Biorefining in the School of Water, Energy and Environment at Cranfield University (CU). He obtained his Master (Chemistry) and PhD (Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology) degrees from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India. Vinod’s research activities sit at the nexus of Metabolic/Pathway Engineering, Bioprocessing and Waste Valorisation. He leads a research group focusing on development of low carbon biomanufacturing technologies for overproduction of platform/commodity chemicals and fuels from carbonaceous agro-industrial waste streams rich in renewable carbon. His expertise in developing cleaner synthetic routes, designing robust cell factories and processes makes the production of a range of chemicals possible in a way that maximises efficiency and minimises waste with a circular economy approach. VK also holds an Adjunct Professor position at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Roorkee, India. He is Advisor for Commonwealth Scholarships/Fellowships applications for UK and among “Pool of Experts” for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), UK.
Vinod Kumar’s role on EBIC is to generate and enhance production of chemical building blocks using waste streams rich in fermentable carbon via engineered cell factories along with process optimisation.
Zhugen Yang
Zhugen Yang is a Professor in Biosensing and Environmental Health at Cranfield University in the UK, leading Advanced Sensors Laboratory since 2019. He started his independent research group at the University of Glasgow in 2018, subsequently moved to Cranfield and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2022 and Professor in 2023. He completed a postdoc at the Universities of Cambridge and Bath after receiving his PhD from the University of Lyon in France. He has received three prestigious Fellowships/awards for different career stages, including Leverhulme Research Leadership Awards (2023-8), UKRI NERC Independent Research Fellowship (2018-21) and EU Marie Curie Fellow (2013-5).
Prof Yang is co-leading the Theme 1 on synbio-enabled next generation biosensing for environmental monitoring and surveillance.
Tao Lyu
Tao Lyu is a lecturer in Green Technologies and Environmental Engineering MSc course director at Cranfield University. He works at the intersection of environmental engineering, chemistry, and nanoscience, with a focus on sustainable wastewater treatment and natural water restoration. He has a track record focused on removing emerging organic contaminants (micropollutants) from water and wastewater using nature-based solutions, particularly through constructed wetlands. His expertise also includes advanced nanotechnology development, such as nanobubble technology, for natural water restoration, eutrophication control, harmful algal bloom removal, and sediment remediation.
In EBIC, Tao Lyu will co-lead clusters 2 and 4 under Theme 2: Environmental Bioremediation. He will work on engineering microorganisms/living biofilms and integrating them into natural or engineered bioremediation systems for the degradation of a wide range of pollutants, particularly recalcitrant organic pollutants.
Francis Hassard
Francis Hassard is Senior Lecturer in Public Health Microbiology at Cranfield University with more than 12 years’ public health research experience investigating various aspects of water and wastewater treatment with a specific focus on water microbiology encompassing: (1) processes and mechanisms that govern biofiltration, (2) fate of viruses through treatment systems, and (3) next generation monitoring of water using flow cytometry and other sensors. Dr Hassard research vision centres on transitioning from chemical and energy intensive drinking water processes to low-impact biological systems that are robust to climate change. Key expertise includes pesticide characterisation and biological treatment processes with specific reference to biofilm processes and bioaugmentation. Recently finished and ongoing works includes projects of the UK water companies on further implementation of rapid fluorescence tools for bacteria and understanding the potential use for viral monitoring. He has developed novel technologies for pathogen inactivation implemented at full scale and current Defra / DHSC project looking the use of wastewater surveillance for public health protection in vulnerable communities.
Francis is co-leading Theme 3 focusing on wastewater and waste management and leading Cluster 4 on integrating synbio techniques for the removal of recalcitrant contaminants in bioengineered treatment systems.
Bruce Jefferson
Bruce Jefferson is Professor of Water Engineering at Cranfield University, a chemical engineer with a BEng and PhD from Loughborough University and joined the staff in Water Sciences in 1997. He was subsequently appointed to the post of Senior Research Fellow in 2003 and the Senior Lecturer in 2006. Current posts include visiting positions at RMIT (Australia), University of New South Wales (Australia). Professor Jefferson’s research interests involve understanding how the underlying process pathways can be better managed to deliver a paradigm shift in how we apply technology for sewage treatment and drinking water production. His current activities involve work on resource recovery, anaerobic sewage treatment, low energy wastewater processes for nutrient removal, NOM, algae and micropollutant control in catchments and treatment, advanced oxidation processes.
His role in EBIC includes working in Cranfield’s team contributing to Theme 3 and co-Chairing the Operational Management Board, and helping to promote integration and outreach across the Hub.
Gabriela Dotro
Gabriela Dotro is a Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Engineering with main expertise on understanding biogeochemical transformation of phosphorus, iron and nitrogen within treatment wetlands to deliver process optimisation and adaptations for improved water quality performance and net zero targets. She has over 18 years of experience on wetlands for industrial and domestic wastewater treatment, having worked in Canada, the USA, Argentina and the UK, and first-hand knowledge of the UK water industry having spent five years embedded within Severn Trent Water’s Research and Development Team. Her work on linking iron and phosphorus to microbial activity has been instrumental for informing water utilities’ management of chemically dosed rural sewage works and proposing the basis for biological coagulant recovery from wastewater and water treatment sludge.
Gaby is leading cluster 6 focusing on engineering biological systems for metal recovery from wastewater treatments. She is also co-leading the Responsible research and innovation theme.
Kristell Le Corre Pidou
Kristell Le Corre Pidou is a Research Fellow at Cranfield University. Her research activities focus on resources recovery with a specific reference to water recycling and reuse. In recent years, she worked in the UK on a variety of EU funded research projects on water reclamation, with the latest one, Demoware, leading to the establishment of Water Reuse Europe. She has also been involved in projects on managed aquifer recharge, water governance, nutrient removal and recovery in France, Australia and the UK. Kristell is managing the UK Water and Wastewater Networks hosted at Cranfield University and is supporting Cranfield Water Part-time students on their MSc in Water and Wastewater Engineering. She is also the secretary of Water Reuse Europe (www.water-reuse-europe.org), the industry-association for the water reuse sector in Europe.
Kristell is EBIC’s manager.
School of Engineering and Physical Science
Heriot-Watt University is a specialist, pioneering University, with a global presence, world renowned, innovative research and highly employable graduates. The University strives to develop solutions in key areas of economic and societal benefit, through a number of interdisciplinary research centres and institutes including the flagship Lyell Centre. The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS), has an international research reputation and close connection with the professional and industrial world of science, engineering and technology. The university offers an integrated and multidisciplinary melting pot and a unique platform for innovation in science and technology to meet global environmental challenges, as reflected in this academic-industrial and collaborative research proposal by way of conducting dedicated research toward producing recombinant rhamnolipids for use in applications to enhance/improve the bioremediation of contaminated waters and land.
Meet the Heriot-Watt University team
Tony Gutierrez
Tony Gutierrez is Associate Professor of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. He leads research in the field of Environmental Microbial Ecology and Microbial Biotechnology, with a focus to uncover the diversity and function of bacteria involved in the removal of anthropogenic pollutants (plastics, petrochemicals and other chemicals) from our oceans, land, and at the water-soil nexus. His work also includes using microbes, in particular bacteria and their products, for biotechnological applications that may help benefit the environment and humans.
Dr. Gutierrez’s work has led to the discovery of 3 novel cultivable bacterial species (comprising 1 new family and 2 genera) that use petrochemical pollutants as their sole source of food. Using a sophisticated molecular biology tool called DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP), his lab has uncovered many other bacterial species that break down petrochemicals and plastic polymers. Another major focus of his work is on discovering new types of microbial bio-surfactants.
Tony’s role on EBIC is to develop sustainable microbial bio-surfactants, and recombinant systems to produce these biomolecules, for applications to enhance the natural attenuation and bioremediation of environmental sites contaminated with toxic chemical pollutants. (Theme 2)
School of Computing
As a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive Universities, Newcastle University has been working to understand our world since 1834. We push the boundaries of knowledge through innovation and creativity. Ranked as a Global top 110 University, our research and teaching are world leading. We have three campuses in Newcastle, Singapore, and Malaysia. Our 27,000-strong student community is drawn from 145 countries. Our community of over 250,000 alumni are creating outstanding impact around the globe. We’ve developed a global network of strategic industry partners and employers. Our collaborations are providing ideas and solutions of economic, social and cultural benefit for our world. Newcastle University offers a synergistic blend of world-leading research in engineering biology, state-of-the-art facilities, and cutting-edge expertise. Newcastle University is a powerhouse in engineering biology, with cross-faculty expertise spanning computational and model-based design of synthetic systems, development of synthetic bacterial systems, and core synthetic biology disciplines. This includes computing science, bioinformatics, engineering, cell biology, and responsible innovation. The environmental engineering group in the School of Engineering has been finding biological solutions to environmental problems since the late 1940s. For the past two decades they have spearheaded the synthesis of molecular microbial ecology, theoretical microbial ecology and design required to harness the metagenomics.
Meet the Newcastle University team
Natalio Krasnogor
Natalio Krasnogor is a Professor of Computing Science and Synthetic Biology who directs Newcastle’s Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex BioSystems (ICOS) research group. He holds a Royal Academy of Engineering’s £2.7M Chair in Emerging Technologies 10 years award on nano-biotechnology & leads a £4.4M EPSRC programme grant (EP/N031962/1). Previously he held a prestigious EPSRC Leadership Fellowship in Synthetic Biology (grant EP/J004111/1 & 2- £1.1M). Some of his recent advances include the creation of the world’s first DNA-based data structure, computational standards for machine interchangeable DNA parts specifications and biological chassis definition, new software and game-theoretic approaches to metabolic engineering, a full-stack approach to engineering biology computer-aided design, a fully automated robot for the preparation of fungal samples for FTIR spectroscopy using deep learning, and the introduction of digital twins and version control technologies for cell-lines engineering.
Natalio is leading Technical pillar 4 which is underpinning the research activities of Themes 1 to 3.
Tom Curtis
Tom Curtis is the Tyne and Wear Professor of of Environmental Control Engineering and has an international reputation and awards (Society for General Microbiology, International Water Association, International Society for Microbial Ecology) his work on the microbial ecology of engineered biological treatment systems. NK is a Professor of Computing Science and Synthetic Biology who directs Newcastle’s Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex BioSystems (ICOS) research group. He holds a Royal Academy of Engineering’s £2.7M Chair in Emerging Technologies 10 years award on nano-biotechnology & leads a £4.4M EPSRC programme grant (EP/N031962/1).
Tom is co-leading Theme 1 on next generation biosensors and contributing to theme 2 environmental remediation.
Biological Sciences
The University of East Anglia, part of the Norwich Research Park (NRP) is a world leading centre for microbiology, environmental sciences and biotechnology. The NRP is one of the largest hubs for microbiology research with over 250 scientists generating important discoveries year on year and has potential applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food processing and environmental monitoring and remediation
Meet The University of East Anglia team
David Lea-Smith
David Lea-Smith completed his PhD in microbiology at Monash University, Australia. After postdoctoral positions at the University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge, he took up a PI position at the University of East Anglia where he is now an Associate Professor of Microbiology. His lab focuses on bacterial cell biology, developing synthetic biology toolsets and methods for genetic engineering of a broad range of bacteria (particularly cyanobacteria) for commercial and environmental applications, notably carbon capture, compound production, bioremediation and natural products discovery, and characterising the role of microbes in global biogeochemical cycles.
David’s role in EBIC will be in development and improvement of synthetic biology tools, large scale generation of plasmids and mutants, characterisation of proteins of environmental and biotechnological importance and co-operating with other hub members in developing these mutants for biotechnology applications.
School of Biological Sciences
The University of Edinburgh is a world-leading centre of academic excellence. Thirty-eight percent of the university’s research was rated world-leading, and a further 45% internationally excellent, in the most recent assessment of research quality in UK universities. The University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Engineering Biology is a community of over 50 research groups and 200 researchers spanning biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, informatics, medicine, and social sciences. It is underpinned by specialist research facilities including Edinburgh Genome Foundry, the world’s largest automated DNA assembly platform and EdinOmics, for mass spectrometry, metabolomics, and proteomics analysis. Aligned with the UK Government’s National Engineering Biology Programme (NEBP) the centre builds on fundamental synthetic biology research and transforms it into real world solutions, driving impact and strengthening the UK’s position as an international leader.
Meet the University of Edinburgh team
Louise Horsfall
Louise Horsfall is Professor of Sustainable Biotechnology at The University of Edinburgh. She is interested in multidisciplinary challenges involving Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology, especially how these areas might help move us towards a more sustainable, circular economy. Louise holds a MChem from the University of Oxford, a DEA and a PhD in Biochemistry from the Université de Liège. She worked as a research associate at the Universities of Leeds and Glasgow before joining Edinburgh in May 2012. Louise was a founding member of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) Bioengineering and Bioprocessing Division and now serves as an elected academic representative of the EFB’s Executive Board. She is a member of the European Synthetic Biology Society and SynBioUK Advisory Boards, EPSRC’s Strategic Advisory Team for manufacturing and circular economy, BBSRC Strategy Advisory Panel for advanced manufacturing and clean growth, the Carbon Technology Research Foundation Advisory Council and the Scottish Science Advisory Council – providing independent advice and recommendations on science strategy, policy and priorities to the Scottish Government.
The Horsfall group has published the most advanced bio-based process for lithium-ion battery recycling to date and authored, alongside leading battery experts, the roadmap for a sustainable circular economy in lithium-ion and future battery technologies. Their research has also combined the use of biosynthesised nanoparticles with cutting edge green chemistry techniques to demonstrate routes to improved catalysis.
Louise is co-leading Theme 3 and cluster 5 focusing on wastewater and waste management and the Theme 4 on Responsible Research and Innovation
Biological Sciences
The University of Essex is a university where curiosity prevails, and where exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected. The university is equally committed to excellence in education and research, for the benefit of individuals, communities and society. The university’s determination to make a difference in society means it is ranked 56th in the global Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, which ranked more than 1,400 universities around the world. Making an impact through research is at the heart of the University. It is in the UK top 10 for research quality in four subjects (Grade Point Average, REF2021) and in the UK top 10 for research power in five subjects (Times Higher Education 2022).
The Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Group research aims at understanding the ecological mechanisms behind changes in global biodiversity and by association ecosystem functioning, and providing clear management and policy recommendations. The group addresses these challenges across all levels of biological organisation (from genes to ecosystems) and across taxonomic groups (from microbes to macro-organisms), focussing on four broad themes:
- Biodiversity (including microbial)
- Climate and environmental change
- Biogeochemical cycling
- Environmental biotechnology
The group’s research benefits society in the areas of conservation and sustainable use of living resources and their habitats, assessment of anthropogenic impacts on the environment, and detection and remediation of pollution.
Meet The University of Essex team
Dr Boyd McKew
Dr Boyd McKew is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Microbiology at the University of Essex, particularly specialising the bacterial biodegradation and bioremediation of crude oil and hydrocarbons. Within EBIC he will be using transcriptomics and proteomics to identify genes and proteins involved in hydrocarbon degradation and biosurfactant production, in a range of environmentally relevant bacteria, with the goal of enhancing these pathways for bioremediation.
Boyd McKew is involved in EBIC’s Cluster 2 activities, providing target genes to be used in parts of the research undertaken under Theme 2 focusing on environmental bioremediation.
School of Engineering
The University of Glasgow, Scotland, is a research-lead world top 100 university, founded in 1451. The University has over 23,000 undergraduate and 19,000 postgraduate students distributed over four colleges, including the College of Science and Engineering (CoSE). The James Watt School of Engineering is the largest school within the CoSE and hosts the Water and Environment Research group involved in EBIC.
Meet the University of Glasgow team
Cindy J Smith
Cindy J Smith is a professor of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, within the Water and Environment Research Group, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow and a Royal Academy of Engineering Scottish Water Research Chair in Biofiltration by Biological Design. This ten-year research fellowship (2018 to 2028) aims to strengthen links between industry and academia, to deliver industry-inspired research on sustainable drinking water treatment. Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, she was a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, Galway (2010-2016) where she held a Science Foundation Ireland Starting Investigator Fellowship (2012-2016) exploring nitrification in coastal environments. She completed her PhD in 2004 at University College Dublin, Ireland, in environmental microbiology, and carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Essex and Sheffield (2004 to 2010), on nitrogen cycling in temperate and tropical estuaries. Prof Smith has grown a research group at the frontier of microbiology and water engineering tackling the challenges and opportunities that microbes pose in water quality, treatment and distribution, supported by >£10M in funding secured from European, Irish and UK funding bodies. In 2023, she was elected chair of the IWA Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering Group, and chairs the JWSE Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Group.
In EBIC, Prof Smith’s group will be exploring the fate and activity of the syn-bio organisms, developed by EBIC consortium, within natural complex microbial communities that impact water treatment and delivery, under a suite of controlled experimental systems and conditions in the laboratory.
School of Engineering
The University of Southampton is a research-intensive university and a founding member of the Russell Group. Our world-class teaching and research activities are delivered across 5 faculties, each of which hosts several subject-specific schools and departments. Our School of Engineering’s achievements in engineering span the last 3 centuries, during which we have used sound science and creative engineering to help shape the world you know today. Our expertise looks deep below the Earth’s crust, reaches into space and encompasses everything in between. In particular, we pride ourselves on our specialist knowledge in 4 key areas: aerospace, biomedical engineering, infrastructure and sports engineering. Our research focuses on solutions to real-life problems across a range of industries. From sustainable energy to resilient infrastructure, we’re addressing some of the biggest challenges facing modern society.
Meet The University of Southampton team
Sonia Heaven
Sonia Heaven is a Professorial Researcher in the Water and Environmental Engineering group at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include treatment technologies for biowastes and wastewater substrates. Early in her career she worked for 7 years in the UK water industry as a civil and then process engineer, and in the waste-to-resource sector. Since then, she has gained extensive experience in multi-partner and multi-disciplinary environmental research and initiatives in the UK and elsewhere, including as Director of the Environmental Biotechnology Network, one of six national UKRI-funded Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBBs). She is a Chartered Engineer, and a member of the Chartered Institutions of Waste Management and of Water and Environmental Management.
Her role in EBIC includes working in the Southampton team, co-Chairing the Operational Management Board, and helping to promote integration and outreach across the Hub.
Yue Zhang
Yue Zhang is an Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering at University of Southampton, working on bioprocesses for resource recovery from organic waste and wastewater. She completed her PhD in Environmental Engineering at Southampton. During her postdoctoral career she undertook two Defra-funded research contracts on anaerobic digestion, the results of which have already been successfully applied in the commercial sector in the UK. Her current research focuses on microbial aspects of bioprocesses, aiming to link these to practical benefits that can be achieved through engineering control of these systems to maximise resource recovery and at the same time minimise the use of external inputs.
Yue’s role in EBIC is in development of sustainable and economically viable microbial fermentation processes for value-added product synthesis during the treatment of organic wastes. Interactions between the biological system and its engineering envelope will be explored in detail in co-operation with other Hub members.
Yongqiang Liu
After earning her PhD in Biochemical Engineering, Yongqiang Liu embarked on a career in Environmental Biotechnology, initially as a postdoctoral researcher and a Singapore Millennium Foundation research fellow at Nanyang Technological University, and later as a senior research scientist for technology translation and scaling up at the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, Singapore. Yongqiang now holds the position of Associate Professor at the University of Southampton. Her research is dedicated to biofilm-based biological wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Additionally, she explores the life cycle assessment (LCA) of biological processes and the biological production of bioplastics and key platform chemicals such as succinic acid.
In her role within the EBIC, Yongqiang will focus on the development of effective and efficient biofilm-based engineering processes and techniques for recalcitrant pollutants. Working alongside other hub members, she aims to facilitate the pragmatic use of engineered microorganisms for bioremediation.
Peter Golyshin
Peter Golyshin is Professor of Environmental Genomics and Director of the Centre for Environmental Biotechnology (CEB) at Bangor University, a major investment from the UK and EU. His research focuses on exploring natural microbial diversity for applications in bioremediation and biotechnology, including biodegradation of organic pollutants and prospecting for novel enzymes for industrial applications. Peter has an outstanding record in the fields of metagenomics, microbial biodiversity and application of OMICS approaches to study extremophiles, oil-degrading bacteria, and pollutant-degrading microorganisms with over 200 papers published in peer-reviewed journals including numerous publications on metagenome-based enzyme discovery and novel industrial enzymes.
PG will be coordinating and supervising the Bangor University research on microbial engineering and environmental pollutant bioremediation related to Theme 2 (Environmental bioremediation, Cluster 2: Engineering microorganisms to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants) and Theme 3 (Wastewater and waste management, Cluster 5: Biorecovery of metals), as well as to Technical Pillar 3 (Host and consortia engineering).
Life Sciences
In 2016, Brunel University London celebrated 50 years as a university. However, our history can be traced back much further to 1798 through our predecessor colleges of Borough Road College, Maria Grey College, Shoreditch College and the West London Institute of Higher Education and as well as through Acton Technical College then Brunel College. Our rise since 1966 has been impressive and our reputation grows year on year. Now a university of 12,746 students – 3,309 students engaged in postgraduate and research study – our special approach is to combine academic rigour with the practical, entrepreneurial and imaginative approach pioneered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Our research seeks to bring meaningful change to society; and empowers our students to lead that charge. That means tackling the major scientific and economic challenges facing the modern world, and delivering a world-class, research-informed education in all our subjects.
School of Water, Energy and Environment
Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university. The university’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. We work in partnership with business, academia, governments and other organisations to develop and deliver applied research and innovative education in science, technology, engineering, and management. Cranfield’s distinctive expertise is in its deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world. Our education portfolio is renowned for its relevance to business and industry, and we are the largest UK provider of master’s-level graduates in engineering and offer a flagship MBA, extensive world-class customised executive education and professional development programmes. Our work informs government policy and leads the way in producing cutting edge new technologies and products in partnership with industry. The research and consultancy we carry out for industry, government and business provides our students with a real-world learning environment, allowing them to develop as professionals and then transfer their knowledge to the global economy.
School of Engineering and Physical Science
Heriot-Watt University is a specialist, pioneering University, with a global presence, world renowned, innovative research and highly employable graduates. The University strives to develop solutions in key areas of economic and societal benefit, through a number of interdisciplinary research centres and institutes including the flagship Lyell Centre. The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS), has an international research reputation and close connection with the professional and industrial world of science, engineering and technology. The university offers an integrated and multidisciplinary melting pot and a unique platform for innovation in science and technology to meet global environmental challenges, as reflected in this academic-industrial and collaborative research proposal by way of conducting dedicated research toward producing recombinant rhamnolipids for use in applications to enhance/improve the bioremediation of contaminated waters and land.
School of Computing
As a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive Universities, Newcastle University has been working to understand our world since 1834. We push the boundaries of knowledge through innovation and creativity. Ranked as a Global top 110 University, our research and teaching are world leading. We have three campuses in Newcastle, Singapore, and Malaysia. Our 27,000-strong student community is drawn from 145 countries. Our community of over 250,000 alumni are creating outstanding impact around the globe. We’ve developed a global network of strategic industry partners and employers. Our collaborations are providing ideas and solutions of economic, social and cultural benefit for our world. Newcastle University offers a synergistic blend of world-leading research in engineering biology, state-of-the-art facilities, and cutting-edge expertise. Newcastle University is a powerhouse in engineering biology, with cross-faculty expertise spanning computational and model-based design of synthetic systems, development of synthetic bacterial systems, and core synthetic biology disciplines. This includes computing science, bioinformatics, engineering, cell biology, and responsible innovation. The environmental engineering group in the School of Engineering has been finding biological solutions to environmental problems since the late 1940s. For the past two decades they have spearheaded the synthesis of molecular microbial ecology, theoretical microbial ecology and design required to harness the metagenomics.
Biological Sciences
The University of East Anglia, part of the Norwich Research Park (NRP) is a world leading centre for microbiology, environmental sciences and biotechnology. The NRP is one of the largest hubs for microbiology research with over 250 scientists generating important discoveries year on year and has potential applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food processing and environmental monitoring and remediation.
School of Biological Sciences
The University of Edinburgh is a world-leading centre of academic excellence. Thirty-eight percent of the university’s research was rated world-leading, and a further 45% internationally excellent, in the most recent assessment of research quality in UK universities. The University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Engineering Biology is a community of over 50 research groups and 200 researchers spanning biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, informatics, medicine, and social sciences. It is underpinned by specialist research facilities including Edinburgh Genome Foundry, the world’s largest automated DNA assembly platform and EdinOmics, for mass spectrometry, metabolomics, and proteomics analysis. Aligned with the UK Government’s National Engineering Biology Programme (NEBP) the centre builds on fundamental synthetic biology research and transforms it into real world solutions, driving impact and strengthening the UK’s position as an international leader.
Life Sciences
The University of Essex is a university where curiosity prevails, and where exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected. The university is equally committed to excellence in education and research, for the benefit of individuals, communities and society. The university’s determination to make a difference in society means it is ranked 56th in the global Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, which ranked more than 1,400 universities around the world. Making an impact through research is at the heart of the University. It is in the UK top 10 for research quality in four subjects (Grade Point Average, REF2021) and in the UK top 10 for research power in five subjects (Times Higher Education 2022).
The Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Group research aims at understanding the ecological mechanisms behind changes in global biodiversity and by association ecosystem functioning, and providing clear management and policy recommendations. The group addresses these challenges across all levels of biological organisation (from genes to ecosystems) and across taxonomic groups (from microbes to macro-organisms), focussing on four broad themes:
Biodiversity (including microbial)
Climate and environmental change
Biogeochemical cycling
Environmental biotechnology
The group’s research benefits society in the areas of conservation and sustainable use of living resources and their habitats, assessment of anthropogenic impacts on the environment, and detection and remediation of pollution.
School of Engineering
The University of Glasgow, Scotland, is a research-lead world top 100 university, founded in 1451. The University has over 23,000 undergraduate and 19,000 postgraduate students distributed over four colleges, including the College of Science and Engineering (CoSE). The James Watt School of Engineering is the largest school within the CoSE and hosts the Water and Environment Research group involved in EBIC.
School of Engineering
The University of Southampton is a research-intensive university and a founding member of the Russell Group. Our world-class teaching and research activities are delivered across 5 faculties, each of which hosts several subject-specific schools and departments. Our School of Engineering’s achievements in engineering span the last 3 centuries, during which we have used sound science and creative engineering to help shape the world you know today. Our expertise looks deep below the Earth’s crust, reaches into space and encompasses everything in between. In particular, we pride ourselves on our specialist knowledge in 4 key areas: aerospace, biomedical engineering, infrastructure and sports engineering. Our research focuses on solutions to real-life problems across a range of industries. From sustainable energy to resilient infrastructure, we’re addressing some of the biggest challenges facing modern society.
Trusted partners
Led by Cranfield University, EBIC brings together scientists from ten leading UK institutions in a mission to advance the properties and functions of micro-organisms, creating more effective ways to monitor the environment and remove pollutants.
EBIC is funded by the UK Research and Innovation’s Technology Missions Fund and support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/Y008332/1)
