Studentships

The rapid increase in the production and consumption of consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops has created a significant environmental challenge. The UK generates around 6 million tonnes of electronic waste annually, among the highest per capita rates globally, yet less than a third is recycled. Valuable metals such as gold and copper are lost, while hazardous substances, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, are released into soils, water, and the atmosphere. These emissions contribute to resource depletion, pollution, and ecosystem degradation, however their pathways and long-term environmental implications remain poorly understood. This project aims to improve scientific understanding of the environmental fate and impacts of materials and pollutants associated with electronic waste across their life cycle. Using a systems-based environmental modelling approach, the research will integrate material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, and data-driven modelling to quantify the movement and transformation of critical and hazardous elements from production to end-of-life management. The project will assess how alternative waste treatment and circular economy interventions influence environmental fluxes, pollution risks, and resource sustainability under different scenarios. Experimental work will be undertaken to validate model assumptions and characterise pollutant behaviour in relevant environmental media. The research will provide new insight into the interactions between resource use, pollution, and ecosystem health, generating evidence to guide sustainable environmental management and policy. You will develop interdisciplinary expertise spanning environmental science, sustainability assessment, and data analytics, preparing you to address complex environmental challenges in the transition to a circular economy. You will follow a personalised training programme designed to equip you with the knowledge and practical skills required for this interdisciplinary research. Training will be delivered through a blend of self-directed study, taught modules, and one-to-one instruction by the supervisory team, complemented by input from external partners where appropriate. You will develop expertise in machine learning (e.g., time series forecasting, hybrid modelling), material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and experimental techniques. Additional support in academic writing and presentation will be provided through the Brunel ASK team.

Water utilities play a vital role in safeguarding public health by delivering clean drinking water and treating wastewater to prevent pollution and maintain the integrity of freshwater systems. The traditional linear approach to the urban water cycle—where water is abstracted, treated, distributed, consumed, collected, treated again, and finally disposed of—has become unsustainable. Over the past decade, water utilities have increasingly adopted the Circular Economy (CE) principles, integrating them into their business strategies. This shift is driven by regulatory requirements and the growing recognition of the economic and environmental benefits of CE practices. However, the sector's transition towards CE is still at an early stage and is identified as a key contributor to pollution in freshwater systems. This research proposes the development of a Circularity-Extended Input-Output (CEIO) assessment tool. This tool will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the water management processes, systematically tracking the transformation of inputs (e.g., raw water, pollutants) into outputs (e.g., treated water, materials, services) and assessing environmental externalities (e.g., pollutants discharged into rivers, soil contamination from sludge applications). By leveraging the CEIO tool, water companies will be better equipped to optimise resource use, address pollution at source and restore natural ecosystems, in line with CE principles. Over the past decade, water utilities have increasingly adopted the Circular Economy (CE) principles, integrating them into their business strategies. This shift is driven by regulatory requirements and the growing recognition of the economic and environmental benefits of CE practices, such as achieving net-zero targets, reducing pollution and fostering green growth. However, the sector's transition towards CE is still at an early stage. To accelerate this transformation, this research proposes developing a Circularity-Extended Input-Output (CEIO) assessment tool. The CEIO tool will provide a comprehensive analysis of the water extraction, distribution, and management system components and evaluate their circularity potential by systematically tracking the transformation of inputs (e.g., raw water, pollutants) into outputs (e.g., treated water, materials, services). The tool will empower utilities to develop effective CE strategies, ensuring the sustainability of their operations and environmental protection. A tailored training plan will be co-developed with you as the prospective PhD candidate based on your background and prior experience, ensuring you acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in this interdisciplinary project. The training will include: One-to-One Instruction: Delivered by the supervisory team, covering topics such as water management systems, Circular Economy (CE) principles, systems mapping tools, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), Material Flow Analyses (MFA) and programming languages. Additionally, you will receive training on designing and facilitating workshops with industry stakeholders. CASE Partner Training: You will work with a Water Utility, benefiting from hands-on experience and guidance from industry experts to understand real-world applications of frameworks and tools used by water utilities. Working closely with their staff, you will be receiving direct feedback to ensure the research remains industry-relevant. Access to Brunel’s Graduate School training, including systematic literature reviews, academic writing skills, referencing.  

Flood risk and water pollution are escalating challenges under climate change and rapid urbanisation. Conventional grey infrastructure provides limited flexibility and sustainability, while nature-based solutions (NbS)—such as wetlands, riparian buffers, and urban green corridors—offer multiple co-benefits by reducing flood hazards, improving water quality, and supporting biodiversity. Yet, designing NbS remains challenging due to diverse local conditions, competing objectives, and deep uncertainties. This project will develop an AI-assisted framework for NbS design and evaluation, combining advanced predictive modelling with multi-objective optimisation. Methodological approaches include: • Data integration of remote sensing, hydrological, water quality, and land-use datasets.• AI-based modelling, leveraging LSTMs, Transformers, and graph neural networks to predict flood and pollution dynamics, coupled with process-based models such as SWAT and HEC-HMS.• Multi-objective optimisation using evolutionary algorithms and reinforcement learning to balance flood risk reduction, pollution mitigation, and ecological co-benefits.• Uncertainty quantification through Bayesian inference and factorial analysis to ensure robustness under future climate scenarios. Potential research directions include scaling NbS design from local to basin levels, evaluating socio-economic trade-offs, and exploring adaptive pathways under climate change. The project will deliver a transferable decision-support tool for policymakers and planners, advancing AI applications in sustainability science and contributing to resilient, cost-effective solutions for water security. As the PhD candidate, you will receive comprehensive training through Brunel’s Graduate School Research Development Programme (e.g., literature review, academic writing, presentation skills, statistics) and tailored one-to-one guidance from the supervisory team. Technical training will include advanced GIS, spatial data analytics, and decision-support tool development. Project-specific AI training will cover time-series forecasting (e.g., LSTM), deep learning (Transformers, GNNs), reinforcement learning, and evolutionary optimisation, delivered via workshops, coding sessions, and external platforms (e.g., LinkedIn Learning, Coursera). Additional professional development will be available through Brunel’s CIWEM-accredited CPD e-Learning courses on flood risk and resilience, ensuring broad expertise and transferable skills.

Applications are invited for one full-time EPSRC Industrial CASE (ICASE) PhD studentship for the project “Best practices for minimising dross formation during melting of scrap aluminium”. BCAST is a specialist research centre in metallurgy with a focus on processing metallic materials for lightweighting applications. The project is in collaboration with Constellium, a global leading manufacturer of high-quality, technically advanced aluminium products and systems. Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) starting from approximately £23,000 plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of up to 48 months (4 years). In the aluminium recycling industry, dross formation represents a substantial material loss, with up to 5-10% of the charge potentially lost as dross. Dross primarily consists of aluminium oxides, impurities, and trapped metal, forming due to reactions between molten aluminium and atmospheric oxygen. Various factors contribute to excessive dross formation, including scrap condition, furnace type, melting cycle parameters, heating sources, and furnace atmosphere. Effective control of dross formation can improve metal recovery, reduce environmental impact, and lower production costs. Different scrap sources, such as end-of-life products, machining scrap, and production returns, present varying levels of contamination and oxide coatings, which can lead to inconsistencies in dross formation. By studying surface characteristics of scrap from various sources and implementing controlled preheat and environment, we can significantly reduce the oxidation of molten aluminium and minimise dross formation. This studentship outlines a comprehensive study aimed at establishing best practices to minimise dross formation during the remelting of aluminium scrap sourced from various stages of the recycling process. Emphasis will be placed on optimising preheat treatments, melting cycle parameters, and furnace atmosphere control, alongside introducing specific elements/flux that inhibit oxide growth. The project will be part of the activities of the Constellium University Technology Centre (UTC) established with BCAST. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to interact with researchers in BCAST and with Constellium’s industrial research engineers. An industrial supervisor of the project will be appointed by Constellium. This close collaboration provides a strong foundation for a future career, whether in industry or academia. Please contact Prof. Hari Babu Nadendla for an informal discussion about the project.

Sport for Development (SfD) is increasingly recognised as a mechanism for addressing social inequalities, promoting inclusion and supporting community development. SfD organisations can play a vital role in health and wellbeing outcomes, local empowerment and social cohesion, yet often operate in precarious, resource-constrained environments. Many face challenges such as unstable funding, high staff turnover and accountability pressures which place significant demands on capacity: including the systems, structures and resources that enable mission delivery and adaptive functioning. This PhD will explore how capacity is built, sustained and adapted within SfD organisations operating in East Africa as part of a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on education and sustainable livelihoods. The programme aims to address youth unemployment and education gaps by leveraging sport for skill development, employability and entrepreneurship. These efforts are designed to contribute to wider health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The research will examine the contextual factors, mechanisms and outcomes that shape capacity building in SfD organisations, enabling them to deliver education and employability initiatives that also foster social inclusion and healthier futures. It will adopt a flexible qualitative or mixed-methods design, potentially employing participatory and creative approaches. It will hope to generate rich, context-sensitive evidence to advance theoretical understanding of capacity building and inform practice in SfD.

Highway surface runoff often contains a wide range of chemical pollutants from tyre wear that are transported from road surfaces to receiving waters following rainfall. A recent US study has reported the presence of a highly toxic quinone transformation product of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), an antioxidant used in tyres which is highly toxic to coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in highways run-off. This is one of many recent studies on the presence of a cocktail of toxic pollutants originating from tyre wear that adversely affects the chemical and ecological quality of natural waters. This project will undertake a complete chemical characterisation of the presence of toxic pollutants originating from tyre wear which include microplastics, heavy metals and rubber derivatives. Furthermore the study will identify the hundreds of toxic chemicals in tyre wear particles that remain unknown. The study will utilise analytical techniques including high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF), ICP-MS and GCMS/MS alongside a battery of toxicological assays to elucidate the identity of components of tyre wear particles that remain unknown. The project will inform policy makers of the harm of untreated highways runoff, it will involve extensive fieldwork and laboratory analysis to identify the composition, fate and remediation of stormwater chemical pollution and is expected to make a significant contribution to solving an emerging ecological crisis.   You will receive training on a number of sampling and analytical techniques. Specifically this will include training in High resolution Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ICPMS, GCMS, ICMSMS (by supervisory team) and in toxicological assays including microtox, CSE-119 (by environmental science technical team). 

Applications are invited for one full-time EPSRC Industrial CASE (ICASE) PhD studentship for the project “Development of natural-ageing-resistant, heat-treatable lean aluminium alloys for automotive applications” The Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) is a specialist research centre in metallurgy with a focus on the processing of metallic materials for lightweighting applications. See www.brunel.ac.uk/bcast for more information. The project is sponsored by Constellium, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality, technically advanced aluminium products and systems. Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) starting from approximately £23,000 plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of up to 48 months (4 years). Lean automotive aluminium with a lower concentration of alloying elements offers moderate strength and relatively high productivity compared to its highly alloyed counterparts. However, automotive aluminium alloys are susceptible to natural ageing at room temperature, resulting in the formation of clusters from a supersaturated solid solution produced after fast quenching from solution heat treatment. This leads to increased hardness, which affects both formability and the subsequent precipitation hardening process. In addition, promoting a circular economy in the aluminium industry by increasing recyclability and using more recycled aluminium is essential for saving resources, reducing waste and creating a more sustainable future. This project will focus on understanding the effects of vacancy-trapping element addition and quench rate sensitivity of lean Al-Mg-Si-based alloys with varying level of recycled content on the natural ageing response at room temperature and precipitation hardening behaviour during artificial ageing treatment, with the aim of developing lean recyclable Al-Si-Mg-based alloys that are resistant to natural ageing, tolerant of slower quenching rates, and capable of offering high productivity and moderate mechanical properties for automotive applications. The project will be part of the activities of the Constellium University Technology Centre (UTC) established with BCAST. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to interact with researchers in BCAST and with Constellium’s industrial research engineers. An industrial supervisor of the project will be appointed by Constellium. This close collaboration provides a strong foundation for a future career, whether in industry or academia. Please contact Prof. Isaac Chang at Isaac.Chang@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the project.

The candidate will be working on an exciting project on a novel fuel concept for the future low-carbon transport in the Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels at Brunel University of London. The project will investigate the fundamentals of nanobubbles in liquid fuels and their applications in combustion engines. Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations will be employed to provide insights on the microscopic behaviour of nanobubbles in liquid fuels and their subsequent impact on fuel injection and combustion process at engine relevant conditions. The successful applicant will become a member of a large research group working on the project, which includes experimental and modelling studies and will work in close collaboration with other members of the team and external research partners. The candidate will attend regular project meetings to report the research progress and is expected to contribute in preparation of journal papers and conference proceedings.

Brunel University of London is pleased to invite applications for studentships in Education, offered through the ESRC-funded Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (GUDTP). The GUDTP is an exciting collaboration between Brunel, the University of Oxford and the Open University, which offers its students access to innovative social science research training across all three institutions. Brunel DTP students in Education will be members of the GUDTP Education Pathway led by the University of Oxford and Brunel and delivered collaboratively by the two universities. You can find further information about the GUDTP here. Brunel DTP students on the Education pathway will join the Department of Education. Education at Brunel is a leading department in the UK offering the full range of provision at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In common with the university as a whole, the department has a rich ethnic mix among its student population and attracts a significant proportion of students from outside the European Union. The Education Department is ranked top 4 in London (Complete University Guide, 2026). In the last Research Excellence Framework, 60% of the Education Department’s research was world leading or internationally excellent and 90% of its impact was graded as internationally excellent. Our Doctoral Researchers are a key part of our research and scholarly community, and we seek to nurture and develop them as the next generation of researchers in education who both create and co-create new knowledge in order to advance the field. We view Education as a discipline in its own right as well as drawing on other disciplinary fields such as history, philosophy, sociology and human geography to inform provision for both our PhD and EdDoc researchers. We believe in the holistic development of the researcher and offer opportunities for doctoral researchers to become fully immersed in Department, College and wider University research networks, providing them with new insights into theory, methodology, methods, ethics and real-world application. Our research addresses education in the broadest sense, taking in both formal and informal education (including youth work and welfare contexts) and focusing across the lifecourse to include early years, schooling, higher education and lifelong learning. Departmental research is currently organised and led through three research groups: Education, Identities, and Society Media, Arts and Culture in Education STEM Education The Department is also affiliated with the following research groups and centres: Global Lives Human Geography: space, place and society Kidspace: key skills in participation in childhood Applicants are requested to contact Professor Emma Wainwright emma.wainwright@brunel.ac.uk to discuss their applications and indicate the member(s) of staff they consider suitable to potentially support their application. Joint Oxford-Brunel supervision will be available where beneficial, drawing on existing external co-supervision practices. More information on the Education research areas available at Brunel is available at: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/DTPs/Grand-Union-DTP

Brunel University London is pleased to invite applications for ESRC-funded studentships in Health and Wellbeing offered through the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (GUDTP). The GUDTP is an exciting collaboration between Brunel, the University of Oxford and the Open University, which offers its students access to innovative social science research training across all three institutions. Brunel DTP students in Health & Wellbeing will be members of the GUDTP Health & Wellbeing Pathway, led by Brunel and delivered collaboratively by the three universities. You can find further information about the GUDTP here. Applicants conducting doctoral research in Health and Wellbeing at Brunel will be based within the appropriate subject area. The Pathway studentships are available across a wide agenda of the most significant national and global health and wellbeing challenges, offering applicants opportunities to work with expert research teams in a range of disciplines. Areas of expertise include - but are not restricted to - lifestyle behaviours and health and wellbeing inequalities sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing; health and wellbeing across the life course, including youth and in older age; psychology, health and wellbeing; health, social care and social work health economics digital health

The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss requires novel ways of tackling multiple hazards. We know from chemical risk assessments that exposures do not occur to single chemicals but to cocktails of multiple compounds. To fully understand the multifactorial risks posed to humans and ecology, additional risk factors such as climate change have to be taken into account. Climate change can lead to changes in chemical exposures; e.g. changes in agricultural chemical use in response to novel pests or periods or draught; and it can further affect chemical behaviour in the environment (e.g. uptake rates with temperature or changes in chemical degradation). Climate change can also alter human and ecological vulnerability to chemical exposures, for example by intensifying heat stress or changing patterns of food and water use. This project will undertake research to better understand the interaction between climate change and chemical pollution in aquatic environments, and their combined impact on biodiversity loss and human health to tackle the triple planetary crisis. The study will assess how exposures to chemicals change in response to climate change by conducting systematic reviews of the existing knowledge. The reviews will be followed by a mixture of fieldwork and laboratory experiments which will address changes in exposures to chemicals and factors such as increased temperature as a consequence of climate change. The outcome of the project will help to identify the drivers of risk and impacts on human and ecological health.   You will receive training in several laboratory techniques, including human tissue culture for human health impacts and ecotoxicological assays for ecological endpoints (by supervisory team,  supported by technical teams). The effects will be validated in the field to capture real responses - e.g. how chemicals accumulate in river food webs, and risks for both biodiversity and human health. Practical work will be complemented with training in systematic review methodology to synthesise existing knowledge, further underpinned with training in chemical and multi-hazard risk assessment approaches to identify the combined risks of climate change and chemical exposures (by supervisory team). 

Freshwater bodies, such as streams, face contamination from human-made pollutants like pharmaceuticals and are increasingly affected by climate change-induced temperature fluctuations. These stressors often interact in ways that amplify or diminish their individual ecological impacts. Temperature changes acutely affect multicellular organisms, driving species extinction and range shifts, but also profoundly shape microbial communities, despite their adaptability. For instance, bacteria evolved to tolerate higher temperatures can exhibit heightened sensitivity to antibiotics in polluted waters. This is alarming, as bacterial communities are critical to maintaining freshwater quality. Fundamental questions remain about the combined effects of antibiotics and temperature on freshwater microbial communities. In our prior research, we found temperature increases enhanced the efficacy of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin). Additionally, temperature-dependent synergistic effects of antibiotic mixtures further inhibited bacterial growth, particularly in bacteria already stressed by extreme temperatures. To generalize these findings, we propose experiments to assess the effects of antibiotic cocktails under diverse temperature scenarios across various freshwater bacterial species. This research aims to model and predict how antibiotic mixtures and temperature jointly influence bacterial communities, ensuring more accurate predictions of ecosystem responses to these stressors As the PhD candidate, you will undertake project-specific training in microbiology techniques, microscopy, cytometry, general laboratory techniques, experimental design, and statistical techniques. The delivery of this training will be one-to-one instruction by the supervisory team. You will work in our environmental sciences laboratory in tandem with other PhD students, a post-doc and technicians (the latter provide laboratory inductions and teach culturing skills). You will agree a personal career development plan with their supervisory team for research, professional and transferable skills. Through this plan, you will be actively engaged in their personal and professional development and will take an active role in analysing their training progress. Project specific training also includes attending the Environmental Sciences seminar series (this is attended by all Environmental Sciences PhD students) and provides students with the opportunity to share ideas, collaborate and network through a series of events that complements the discipline-specific training. In addition, you will benefit from general training offered by the graduate school. This includes a researcher development programme (e.g. workshops and seminars, research dissemination, and careers and personal development), university-wide opportunities and social events and facilities.   

Microplastics (MPs) are tiny fragments of solid plastic polymers, measuring less than 5 mm, generated from plastics. These, have raised significant concerns regarding their environmental and human health impacts. While recent studies have explored the pathways of exposure and health effects of MPs, our understanding of their prevalence, abundance, and sources in the environment remains limited. MPs are widely found in freshwater systems, yet key questions remain about their absolute levels, types, size, distribution, sources, transport pathways, and impact on ecosystems and human health. This project will address these questions by analysing samples from two major English rivers—the Thames and Medway. Freshwater samples will undergo filtration and oxidation to remove organic matter, enabling the measurement of MPs across various size fractions. A diverse and complimentary set of methodologies will be employed to detect, quantify, and characterise MPs and their additives, including optical, spectroscopic, mass spectrometric and chemometric approaches.  By linking MPs concentrations to specific collection sites, we aim to trace their sources and transport mechanisms, filling crucial gaps in current research. By building a comprehensive evidence base on the prevalence, risks, and pathways of MPs, this research will help shape future policies on the lifecycle of conventional plastics and inform strategies for their reduction and elimination.   The proposed project on microplastics in rivers, their abundance and fluxes between terrestrial and marine environments will require project-specific training through a combination of one-to-one lab training and training via internal and external services and discussions with partners  (i.e. Living Rivers Foundation, EA). Here’s an outline of the training program:- training on techniques for microplastic collection, including sampling and filtration methods; laboratory techniques for identifying and quantifying microplastics (e.g., microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy) (one-to-one training from the laboratory technicians and supervisors); - training on methods for quantifying material fluxes (including microplastics) and understanding transformation processes such as fragmentation, biofouling, and chemical adsorption (one-to-one guidance from supervisors, and with external partners on hydrological modelling to predict microplastic transport). These will involve the use of statistical tools (e.g., SPSS) for analysing and visualising microplastic transport and transformation data (training sessions with university support services and external /online courses on data analysis and machine learning applications in environmental science).And also: - training on understanding the interactions between terrestrial and marine environments and how microplastics act as pollutants bridging these ecosystems (one-to-one guidance from supervisors and workshops with researchers in environmental science, marine biology, and policy). Interpretation on the integration of microplastic analysis into broader water quality monitoring frameworks and regulatory requirements (with the Living Rivers Foundation and workshops with industry partners involved in water quality monitoring (e.g., Environment Agency or Defra). These will involve training on writing scientific papers, presenting at conferences, and translating findings into policy-relevant outputs (regular one-to-one guidance and ongoing feedback sessions with supervisors, exposure to events such as conferences, and workshops on science communication organised by the university or professional organisations (e.g., SETAC).

The NERC TREES DLA is offering a fully funded PhD studentship in collaboration with Brunel University of London, the Institute of Zoology (part of the Zoological Society of London) and the Environment Agency (EA) to investigate and understand the mechanisms of uptake and elimination of pharmaceuticals in a model organism and develop machine learning (ML) approaches to model bioaccumulation of these substances. The studentship will offer the successful candidate a first-rate, challenging research training experience within the context of a mutually beneficial research collaboration, between academic, third-sector and regulatory organisations. Background. Anthropogenic stress in the form of chemical pollution has a significant impact on animal health for both wildlife and farmed animals at all levels of biological organisation. For most chemicals, the potential uptake, biotransformation and elimination of those chemicals in/from organisms is not well studied, restricting predictions and understanding of potential mechanisms of toxicity. It is critical that we investigate mechanisms of uptake and elimination that also enable translational understanding across different species. A second challenge is highlighted by a recent publication that estimated the global chemicals market contains >350,000 chemicals (Wang et al., 2020) and the industry is expected to double by 2030 (UNEP, 2019). Moreover, for the minority of chemicals that are tested, a significant number of animals are used, which is at odds with the desire to reduce, refine and replace the use of animals in testing. This can often be compounded by slow uptake of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to reduce animal use by industry, driven by a concern around how these methods ensure adequate coverage for unknown chemicals and whether such methods will be accepted by global regulatory bodies (NC3Rs, 2020). Thus, the science, industry and regulatory interface needs comprehensive evidence-based approaches and disruptive technologies to enable the move away from animal testing for the effective and safe management of chemicals to protect human and animal health in the environment. Importantly, pharmaceuticals are a unique set of chemicals that are ionisable, often containing acidic and basic functionality (some compounds contain multiple sites of ionisation), which can influence bioavailability, uptake and elimination, affecting bioaccumulation. Significant knowledge gaps remain concerning the role of ionisation in the bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals, with many models developed for neutral organic chemicals where data are more readily available. It is critical that the role of ionisation is investigated further to understand how water chemistry and compounds’ physicochemical properties can affect bioaccumulation. The proposed research will generate toxicokinetic data from D. magna and model these data using ML to predict uptake and elimination kinetics of multiple pharmaceuticals. Toxicokinetic experiments will be conducted using mixture-based exposures to generate a large and useable dataset. Exposure will be repeated across different pHs (maintaining environmental relevance) to investigate the degree of compound ionisation and the changes in bioaccumulation potential. Molecular data and model parameters will be extracted to understand structural motifs that affect uptake, biotransformation and elimination in these organisms. This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Brunel University of London, the Institute of Zoology and the EA which is the regulatory organisation dedicated to protecting and improving the environment in England. As part of the studentship you will go on a placement with the EA for a minimum of 3 months. Training and Development. You will receive extensive multidisciplinary training in techniques to develop a valuable set of technical and theoretical expertise for a successful career as an independent scientist. The work will be approximately a 50:50 split between ‘wet lab’ and computational analysis that will develop the students’ capabilities and skillset in both areas. You will receive comprehensive training in sample preparation, analytical method development (LC-MS/MS), animal husbandry, exposure experiments (to regulatory standards), and coding in Python/R for machine learning, modelling, and chemometric data analysis. In particular, you will receive in-depth training in data science and artificial intelligence, enhancing your computational literacy and supporting the UK’s competitiveness in digital skills. 

This project investigates how drugs designed to treat prostate cancer make snail shells not curly. Molluscs comprise a large and diverse phylum, second only to Arthropoda in the number of species. Pollution from agriculture, industry and households (e.g. via sewage effluents) can pose a significant threat to mollusc populations, for example Tributyl tin boat paints unexpectedly disrupting development and reproduction of molluscs living near harbours causing well-documented local extinctions. Surprisingly, compared to other groups of animals (e.g. vertebrates, arthropods, etc.), much of fundamental molluscan biology is not well characterised, which prevents proper chemical risk assessment to protect these species. Recent research has shown that although molluscs do not have many of the steroid hormones found in vertebrates, they do share some evolutionary conserved steroidogenic enzymes with vertebrates and even plants (e.g. 5α-reductase (5αR), known as DET2 in plants). In gastropod molluscs, disruption to these enzymes by pharmaceuticals has significant impacts on embryo development, body patterning and growth. This project will use a combination of environmental toxicology and Omics (e.g. metabolomics, lipidomics) approaches to address critical gaps in endocrinology process of molluscs. The outcome could also inform possible mechanistic endpoints and biomarkers for inclusion in chemical regulatory testing guidelines for molluscs to provide better environmental protection.   You will be trained in the experimental design and running of animal ecotoxicology studies, including ethics of animal use in research and aquatic animal husbandry - one-to-one instruction by 1st supervisor and support from our research technician team. Analytical chemistry techniques, data processing and ‘omic workflows – one-to-one instruction by the 2nd Supervisor and support from the research technician team. We are also part of external networks, e.g., the London Metabolomics Network, which supports training for early-career researchers. This could provide additional training and networking opportunities. You will also be provided training in chemical risk assessment and policy - one-to-one instruction by the first supervisor, membership of the Centre for Pollution Research and Policy.