Current Research Projects

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2. This project involves the development and deployment of a novel 3D-printed passive sampler for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The technology has been widely adopted, with over 40,000 deployments globally, contributing significantly to public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sensor development for urban water quality monitoring. This project focuses on developing low-cost sensors for detecting illegal discharges and monitoring water quality in urban waterways. It includes the deployment of a "sensor army" in the Stony Creek catchment to reduce industrial contamination.

Real time monitoring and control of urban stormwater treatment systems. This ARC Linkage Project explores the use of real time monitoring systems, such as sensors and cloud-based logging systems, to understand pollutant dynamics in water treatment systems and then apply numerical models to then create control algorithms which adjust the water dynamics to improve overall water quality treatment processes.

The IoT for Water HUB. The Hub expects to transform Australian capabilities by delivering cutting-edge technologies, and novel visualisation and analytics methods, supported by new business models. The objectives of the ARC Research Hub in the Internet of Things for Water include: developing new sensor technologies; developing advanced visualization and data analytics; and developing algorithms for real-time control of water systems, including water supply, wastewater and stormwater.

Canada Excellence Research Chair in Waterborne Pathogens: Surveillance, Prediction and Mitigation. Access to safe water and sanitation is a global concern. Contaminated water and poor sanitation transmit disease and expose individuals to preventable health risks. The challenge of managing waterborne risks will only intensify as water supply and quality are impacted by population growth, human-driven development and climate change. As the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Waterborne Pathogens, Dr. David McCarthy and his team at the University of Guelph will spearhead the development of much-needed solutions to safeguard water supply in Canada and around the world, developing innovative technologies to detect pathogens and their sources in near real-time, model how humans interact with sources of contamination, and reduce pathogen loads in the environment. Their work will emphasize solutions that are easy to use, low-cost, open source and open hardware, to encourage and enable their use in diverse communities across the globe. Want to learn more about this CERC? Visit this page: https://www.microscape.ca/home/CERC