Projects registered at University of Roehampton
Sacred waters: faith and folk traditions and their role in conservation and management of natural water sources
PhD project
Supervisors: Nick Mayhew Smith & Ashley Cocksworth
Natural water has attracted veneration, worship and a wide range of ritual activities for millennia, cultic practices even surviving transitions between different religions and changes in dominant cultures. This programme of research will examine some of the very long narratives that have developed around sacred water courses in a mostly British context, including springs, wells, lakes, rivers and the sea, examining their lingering cultural footprint in the 21st century. It will focus on the extent to which popular imagination and memory can help efforts to conserve and restore these natural phenomena. Ritual activities and communal attachments include bathing traditions, the presumed health-giving properties of natural water sources, legends of aquatic creatures and spirits, and water as a place of healing and rebirth. The researcher will select a range of springs, ponds and other natural bodies of water and examine both their long history of devotional use and their ongoing significance to their local community today. This will involve historical research, including local history archives, which will be set alongside field studies of the cultic and ritual practices that have developed and continue into the present time, including site survey, observation and interviews with devotees and more casual site visitors. The project takes an innovative approach in placing traditional cultic rituals and folk attachment to sacred sites in dialogue with modern perceptions and practices that continue to cluster around natural water sources and bodies. Discerning some of these long narratives that connect people to place will ultimately shed new light on the enduring influence spiritual concern can have on efforts to conserve and value natural heritage.
The Great Outdoors: Does exposing our senses to natural water sources benefit our physiology and psychology?
PhD project
Supervisors: Lewis Halsey & Lauren Stewart
Exposure to natural environments is known to boost human health. But little is understood about exactly what environments are beneficial, for whom and under what circumstances. We need a better understanding of the mechanisms linking environmental attributes to positive mental and physical health outcomes for humans, and this can be achieved with robust field experiments. Bodies of water, perhaps particularly running water such as rivers, are considered to be restorative in a number of ways, and this might be explained by an evolved attraction to fresh water sources. This PhD project will involve isolating and exposing individual senses to natural water-based environments of different types e.g. upland vs lowland rivers, while measuring physiological and psychological parameters previously shown to respond positively to whole-body, real-world, nature immersion. The findings will advance understanding of how exposure to rivers positively influences human biology, and in turn what realistic interventions might be helpful to individuals with limited access to nature.
Tracking Antimicrobial resistance evolution and dissemination in human-impacted waterways
Masters plus PhD project
Supervisors: Tivkaa Amande & Anne Robertson
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health challenge responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019. Sewage pollution, clinical effluents, and industrial activities account for the spread of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in natural waterways. These freshwater ecosystems serve as reservoirs and hotspots for horizontal gene transfer, creating opportunities for the evolution of novel resistance determinants. This project aims to understand how AMR evolves, persists, and disperses in freshwater environments.
The PhD researcher will study the temporal and spatial variation of ARG in urban and rural waterways using culture-dependent, culture-independent molecular biology and bioinformatic approaches to detect/quantify ARGs and mobile genetic elements in waterways. High-throughput sequencing approaches such as metagenomic sequencing will be used to study the microbial community structure, resistome diversity, and potential gene transfer events. The project will help us to understand how changing human activities shape AMR evolution in waterways and will contribute to environmental policy, improved monitoring frameworks, and strategies aimed at mitigating the spread of AMR through freshwater ecosystems.
Aquatic parasites as indicators of ecosystem function
PhD project
Supervisors: Cecile Reed & Anne Robertson
It is widely understood that changes in aquatic parasite community dynamics, such as declines in diversity or increases in host infection rates, can signal the influence of local environmental stressors such as pollution or habitat degradation. Less is known about the responses of aquatic parasite communities to improving ecological conditions, for example through habitat restoration or reductions in pollutants, despite the acceptance that healthy ecosystems should have healthy parasite communities. River restoration aims to improve river health and function and ecological recovery in such projects is currently measured primarily using macroinvertebrates and fish community indices. An opportunity thus exists to deepen our understanding of ecological recovery by studying the responses of aquatic parasite communities to river restoration efforts.
Projects registered at Cranfield University
Optimising urban blue networks for ecological resilience and community wellbeing
PhD project
Supervisors: Alice Johnston & Robert Grabowski
Rivers, canals and wetlands can be ecological and social lifelines in densely developed urban areas. However, the realized benefits of these blue networks depend on how they are shaped, connected and managed across different urban contexts. This PhD will use spatial AI, satellite data, existing national databases and graph-based network analysis to quantify how blue network configuration, connectivity and condition influence ecological resilience and community wellbeing. By integrating indicators of extreme heat, air quality and biodiversity with socio-economic and public health data, the project will reveal where blue networks provide the greatest co-benefits and how urban context influences key trade-offs. The results will inform practical strategies for designing and managing blue networks that support climate adaptation, health equity and nature recovery, contributing to water-sensitive, liveable cities.
Development of origami-paper eDNA sensors for real-time surveillance of freshwater ecosystem
PhD project
Supervisors: Professor Zhugen Zhang & Robert Grabowski
In this innovative PhD project, a researcher will develop and validate new origami-paper eDNA sensors for the early detection of chemical and microbial contaminants and non-native species in river ecosystems. The selected candidate will work collaboratively within a dynamic team, utilizing cutting-edge technology to create user-friendly sensors for deployment by citizen scientists. The project will involve co-designing the sensors with public stakeholders to ensure usability and accuracy, as well as conducting field tests to validate their effectiveness. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in environmental science, biology, or a related field, along with experience in molecular techniques and fieldwork. Excellent communication skills and a passion for biodiversity conservation are essential. This studentship offers a unique opportunity to engage in groundbreaking research with practical applications, promoting community involvement in detecting chemical and biological contaminants and monitoring biodiversity.
Urban blue space: Exploring dynamic perceptions of form and function, and their implications for urban decision-making
PhD project
Supervisors: Dr Simon Jude & Robert Grabowski
This PhD studentship is an exciting opportunity to conduct new social-ecological research on the perceptions of urban blue space. Urban blue space is increasingly planned, managed, engineered, and dynamic. In this study, a PhD researcher will investigate how the dynamic form and function of urban blue spaces influence perceptions and the types of information and knowledge required to improve understanding of such areas. The research project will involve fieldwork within the UK to conduct surveys, interviews and/or questionnaires, plus the use of existing ecological information and data.