Professor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern is at the forefront of environmental and water science research, where her work bridges the critical connection between water quality, public health, and environmental sustainability. As the leader of the newly established £13 million Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE) at the University of Bath, Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern is using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor community health while advancing sustainable water management practices.
Her interdisciplinary 'One Health' philosophy has revolutionised how we understand the essential relationships between environmental protection, sustainable resource use, and human wellbeing. In this interview, she discusses her journey, groundbreaking research, and vision for creating more sustainable water systems for future generations.
What first inspired you to pursue a career in environmental and water science?
I’ve always loved being close to nature. As a teen, I was concerned about the impact we were having, and continue to have, on our planet. The depleting ozone layer was big news back then, and it was encouraging to see the world coming together to solve the issue. I decided to study chemistry, hoping to solve the world’s pollution problems. I was a dreamer!
My early passion for water research may have come from reading Dune, the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. Water is so precious yet overlooked by most, and this is captured so well in Dune. We talk a lot about climate change (and rightly so!), but despite being critical to our survival, water often takes a secondary position in global conversations.
What excites you most about working at the intersection of water quality, public health, and environmental sustainability?
I have always been inspired by the potential for improvement in the way research and regulation are structured when it comes to environmental and public health. Both topics are studied by independent groups and regulated by different regulatory bodies. I believe that the best way forward is to integrate these efforts, leading us to adopt the One Health philosophy in our research.
Collaborations are key to this. For example, we have made significant progress with our closest collaborators, such as Wessex Water, under the excellent leadership of Ruth Barden, Director of Environmental Strategy, and many others.
You led the first national WBE study encompassing both chemical and biological markers. Why is this an important paper to highlight?
This paper, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials in 2023, pushes the boundaries of WBE as a holistic epidemiology tool. Not only does it assess community wide health status, and exposure to pathogens and hazardous chemicals, but it also captures exposure-linked health outcomes and risk factors. This paper is also the result of the hard work of the national WBE network, a group of scientists (including Andrew Singer, Davey Jones, Matthew Wade, to name the few), who came together during the COVID pandemic. Using WBE early warning systems, we collaborated with government organisations to deliver the knowledge and tech needed to identify Sars-Cov-2 hotspots in communities.
Can you give another example of where interdisciplinary collaboration enhances the scope of your research?
There are several papers I’d like to mention; one example, published in Environmental International, is a UK Research and Innovation-funded programme that introduced WBE to a region that is subject to various pressures such as population growth and climate change impacts. We worked with academics as well as various stakeholders in the South African public sector, and it was invigorating to see the drive, commitment and rapid decision making that helped deliver the WBE system during the COVID pandemic. The WBE network is thriving in South Africa now.
Is there a breakthrough or project that you are particularly proud of?
I’m proud of all the little breakthroughs my excellent group members make – postdoctoral research associates (PDRAs), PhD students, technicians, and undergraduate students. They all add up to make big impacts! We’ve just been funded a £13 million project to start a new Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection. This project aims to transform the way we manage environmental and public health, and I’m looking forward to being able to test various interventions in our 'living labs'.
In terms of historical projects, it has to be the EU-funded SEWPROF ITN. I coordinated this big initiative when I was just a lecturer and I was lucky to work with the best in Europe (Kevin Thomas, Pim de Voogt, Adrian Covaci, Felix Hernandez, Sara Castiglioni, Christoph Ort, to name the few). We produced extraordinary work, with WBE now recognised worldwide as an epidemiology tool. Our early career researchers, PhD students, and PDRAs are now in decision making seats across Europe and beyond. I’m so proud!
If you could encourage the next generation of scientists to focus on one critical water issue, what would it be?
Water is critical to our survival and it’s such a unique chemical. It’s under pressure due to population growth, urbanisation, and our lifestyle choices. We have limited understanding of water quality issues and potential health hazards. Therefore, new tools and approaches are needed to unravel some of the complexities. Interdisciplinarity and ‘One Health’ is the way forward.
Some of Professor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern’s latest research initiatives
Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE)
In January 2024, Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern established CWBE, a £13 million Centre to develop a public health surveillance system that detects disease outbreaks by analysing water systems for pathogens and biomarkers. The initiative seeks to prevent future pandemics and enhance understanding of chronic diseases through real-time, cost-effective community health monitoring.
Centre for Doctoral Training in Real-Time Digital Water-Based Systems for Environmental Health Protection (Red-ALERT CDT)
In 2024, Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern launched Red-ALERT, backed by £2.66 million from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). This initiative aims to train a new generation of leaders to transform aquatic environmental health management through real-time digital water-based systems.
Find out more about Red-ALERT CDT.
European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals
Launched in February 2023, this €400 million, seven-year European research collaboration includes Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern and Prof Werner Brack as a co-leaders of a project focused on hazardous chemical exposure via WBE. Its aim is to develop next-generation chemical risk assessments by monitoring chemical exposures affecting public health and the environment. Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern's specific role involves analysing wastewater to assess human exposure to hazardous chemicals across Europe.
Understanding Changes in Quality of UK Freshwaters
Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern leads research teams in two significant projects under this £8.4 million initiative funded by NERC and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra):
PACIFIC (Pathways of Chemicals into Freshwaters and their Ecological Impacts)
This project examines how chemical pollutants affect microbial communities in rivers, using mass spectrometry to trace contaminants in the Thames and Bristol Avon catchments.
QUANTUM (Quantifying the Impacts of Livestock Farming Practices on UK Rivers)
This study investigates pollution from livestock farming in 52 regions across the UK, aiming to understand how manure affects river ecosystems and to develop strategies to mitigate its impact.