UNICEF estimates that over 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Microorganisms are responsible for a host of waterborne diseases which cause unnecessary disease and death. Simultaneously, using microbes to our advantage can offer solutions in purifying water and improving sanitation. Ultimately, this will increase access to safe and affordable drinking water for all, whilst making hygiene practices more accessible for many people across the globe.
Biofertilisers offer promising ways to reduce nutrient runoff and enable wastewater recycling, supporting healthier ecosystems and more resilient water systems. By applying microbial science, applied microbiologists can help reduce waterborne diseases and advance progress towards clean water and sanitation for all, improving health and quality of life globally.
Access to clean water is fundamental for achieving gender equality, education, and economic development, as the burden of water collection often falls on women and children. Applied microbiology plays a vital role in advancing low-cost, scalable water treatment solutions, ensuring communities can sustainably manage their water resources while protecting health and supporting climate resilience.
Read the latest research on clean water from AMI’s journals here.
Clean Water Advisory Group Members
Gary Hogben
Gary is a professional Microbiologist specialising in the water treatment sector. Since 1995 he has managed a busy laboratory with the UKAS accreditation process. He has overall responsibility for the company’s quality system accreditation to each of ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001 and ISO17025. He also has lead responsibility for Legionella Control Association membership.
Gary is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and has Chartered Biologist status. He has Senior Membership of The Water Management Society.
Gary's specialist field is the detection and control of Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli and other bacteria in water. He has extensive experience and contribute to the national and international agenda for Legionella control.
Kwanrawee Joy Sirikanchana
Dr Kwanrawee Joy Sirikanchana is a Senior Research Scientist at the Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Thailand.
Her research focuses on water and wastewater microbiology, microbial source tracking, wastewater-based epidemiology, antibiotic resistance and microbial risk assessment. Her research has been recognized and collaboratively adopted by government and public entities whose responsibilities are related to water quality management, such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Public Health, and the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority of Thailand.
Rita Colwell
Rita Colwell is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, senior advisor and chairman emeritus at Canon US Life Sciences, Inc., and president and chairman of CosmosID, Inc.
Dr. Rita Colwell's interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. Dr. Colwell developed an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world, in collaboration with Safe Water Network, headquartered in New York City.
Olusola Abayomi Ojo-Omoniyi
Olusola Ojo-Omoniyi is a distinguished Associate Professor at Lagos State University, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science. He has done research in the field of Environmental Microbiology & Biotechnology with over 25 years teaching/research experience in one of the foremost Universities in Nigeria. He won international prize of the Belgian Development Cooperation Prize – 2003 for his scholarly publications in Environmental Microbiology/Biotechnology.
His research interest is in biodegradation of xenobiotics in natural environment, pollution control, soil fertility maintenance through the application of Rhizobium technology and solid waste management.
Theodore M Flynn
My group monitors water quality, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic invertebrates in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary.
Olufunke Bolatito Shittu
Olufunke Shittu currently works at the Department of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Isabel Douterelo
Isabel is currently at Sheffield University, lecturing on Water and Applied Microbiology. Her research focuses on understanding and solving microbial water quality issues in urban water systems, contributing to the protection of public health and the environment. She has collaborated with public bodies, water companies, and international researchers, providing new insights into the microbial ecology of drinking water systems. Her work has guided water practitioners in making informed decisions and developing effective water management strategies
Sarah Allard
I am an Assistant Project Scientist in the Gilbert Lab, housed between the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Scripps Intitution of Oceanography. I am interested in exploring how we can harness microbiome research to support environmental recovery after disturbance, safe and productive food systems, and human health. To address growing challenges, such as the presence of emerging contaminants and increasing climate variability, I believe that interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement will be essential.
Bukola M. Popoola
Dr. Bukola M. Popoola works at Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. She received her Ph. D in Environmental Microbiology at the Department of Microbiology in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
She teaches a variety of courses in microbiology field such as water and sewage microbiology, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, petroleum microbiology, general microbiology, microbial genetics, microbial physiology, bacteriology, microbial techniques, soil microbiology, etc. She has coordinated, played advisory role, and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students in tertiary institutions. She serves currently as the Acting Head of Department of her institution.
Dr. Popoola attends and participates in conferences both locally and internationally. She is a reviewer, has authored or co-authored for more than 20 articles in both international and national referred journals and has published a book as well as chapters in books.
She is a member of Applied Microbiology International and some other professional bodies. She strongly believes through her research and collaborations the SDG goals 6, 14, etc will be a reality.
Francis Hassard
Dr. Francis Hassard is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Public Health Microbiology at Cranfield University and a Visiting Researcher at the University of South Africa. Dr. Hassard is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Chartered Biologist, and a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
Dr. Hassard's research focuses on microbiological water quality and public health in engineered water systems. His work includes the development of biofilms for water treatment, innovative surveillance methods for pathogen detection in wastewater, and addressing challenges posed by emerging contaminants. Notable highlights of Dr. Hassard's career include his role in the COVID-19 wastewater surveillance initiatives in the UK, where his efforts in schools and prisons significantly contributed to translating public health research into impact.
Rachel Poretsky
I am interested in microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, bacterial diversity, and community structure and interactions in natural environments. My research involves exploring the functional diversity of bacteria in marine, freshwater, and other environments through the direct retrieval and analysis of microbial genes (metagenomics) and gene transcripts (metatranscriptomics). By identifying factors involved in the activity and diversity of bacteria, it may be possible to better understand how bacterial communities, and consequently, biogeochemical cycles will respond to environmental changes.
Robin Thorn
I have extensive research experience of working on multidisciplinary research projects, focused on three main sectors; healthcare provision, food security and the environment. At present, the vast majority of my research income is generated through strategic partnerships with industry (UK SMEs) through knowledge exchange and research & development.
Elitsa Penkova
Elitsa’s PhD project is focused on understanding to what extent the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in rivers poses a risk to human health. This builds upon previous work in coastal waters which found that recreational activities, such as bathing, are associated with an increased risk of exposure to and colonisation by ARB. Her project is funded by NERC GW4+ DTP and while based at the University of Exeter, additional project partners include the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and the UK Health Security Agency, with further support from the Environmental Agency.
Yongjun Wei
I currently work as an associate professor at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, China. My research interests are understanding of environmental microbiome and synthetic Microbiology, and the main aim is application of microbiota and synthetic biology in solving environmental problems
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