英国斯特林大学“环境微生物学与塑料污染生态学”项目2021年招聘博士后职位

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in “Environmental Microbiology and the Ecology of Plastic Pollution”

University Of Stirling

Description

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in “Environmental Microbiology and the Ecology

of Plastic Pollution” Apply

Post Details

Full time Fixed term for 42 months (expected to start in June 2021)

The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 26 April 2021 Interviews are expected to take place on Monday 03 May 2021

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a postdoctoral role under SOC code 2119

The Post

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position to work within a new inter-disciplinary NERC funded GCRF project, “Sustainable Plastic Attitudes to benefit Communities and their Environments (SPACES)” in the department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling, UK. We are seeking a highly motivated individual specialising in environmental microbiology and the colonisation dynamics and ecology of human pathogens in biofilms attaching to plastics. The successful candidate will be based in Stirling and become part of the wider interdisciplinary team involved with this £3.85m project, which involves a consortium led by the University of Stirling, and involves the University of Malawi, University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

In many cities in sub-Saharan Africa, plastic wastes, and plastic bags in particular, block urban drainage systems. During rain events, this leads to localised flooding, with an increased risk of human exposure to raw sewage and the spread of waterborne pathogens within highly populated areas. Plastics in the environment may also be acting as a reservoir for pathogenic microbes, such as Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae and E. coli , particularly when faecally contaminated, which is a common occurrence as urban rivers are typically used as open sewers. In addition to direct human exposure risks, the transfer of microbial pathogens from these reservoirs could be facilitated by heavy rain and resulting runoff, or via scavenging domestic and wild animals. Therefore, plastics in the urban and peri-urban environment may be major factors in facilitating the survival of pathogens, and bacteria carrying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and facilitating the emergence of novel zoonotic diseases.

Quantifying and understanding the potential role of plastics in the environment for the persistence and dispersal of potentially pathogenic microorganisms is of pressing importance and global significance. However, despite wide-scale recognition of the need for LMIC governments to invest more thoroughly in solid waste management, this remains a low funding priority area, with fragmented responsibility between departments and a lack of time or technical expertise to negotiate suitable waste management strategies. Typically, governments, communities and individuals in sub-Saharan countries prioritise healthcare, and food and water security, followed by employment, education and housing. Plastic pollution rarely registers as something important enough to re-direct valuable resources away from these more pressing challenges. However, we argue that waste management is inextricably linked to human health and should not be treated as a separate issue. Therefore, this ambitious project is at the forefront of solid waste management and improved environmental decision-making by characterising the impact of plastics to human health in LMICs.

By quantifying the processes of human pathogen colonisation, dispersal and exposure pathways, the “SPACES Project” will address key environmental challenges and have far-reaching implications for human health and well-being in sub-Saharan African communities.

Informal enquiries may be made to Prof Richard Quilliam, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences (richard.quilliam@stir.ac.uk).

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