Principal Investigators
Professor David Kay, Aberystwyth University
David Kay is Professor of Environment and Health at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He has acted as consultant and/or adviser on standards for recreational and drinking water to WHO, EU, USEPA, NERC, EPSRC, DEFRA, DWI, HPa, Scottish Government, Environment Agency, SEPA and WRc. Recently, David Kay acted as:
- specialist adviser to the House of Lords, European Communities Select Committee enquiry into the revision of the EU Bathing Water Directive;
- consultant to EU-DGXI on revised standards for bathing waters throughout the community;
- member Scientific Advisory Committee to NERC on the new Environment and Human Health Initiative;
- member of the WHO steering group on diffuse pollution from livestock wastes and the effects on human health;
- adviser to the WHO on recreational water Guidelines design and water-related risk assessment;
- consultant to WHO on the development of global disease burden assessment in the area of water and sanitation; and
- adviser to USEPA on revision of the US Bathing water quality Guidelines.
Professor Wim Meijer, UCD
Professor Wim Meijer is Head of Microbiology in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science in University College Dublin. His research focuses on pathogenic bacteria in relation to animal and human health. Within this context he has directed research projects funded by national and International funding agencies including Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the European Union (ICREW, Smart Coasts, CODTRACE) and the Irish Environmental Protection Agency. The latter two organisations currently fund research focusing on real time prediction of bathing water quality, development of technologies to identify the biological and geographical origins of water pollution and techniques to detect Cryptosporidium.
Dr Mark Wyer, Aberystwyth University
Dr Mark Wyer studied catchment nutrient dynamics for his MSc in Canada and his PhD in Wales. As a post-doctoral scientist, he has pioneered UK investigations of catchment microbial dynamics and delivery of faecal indicator organisms and pathogens to near-shore coastal waters. He has published over 100 scientific papers and reports in this area and completed associated work on the health effects of marine and fresh water recreational activities. Mark is managing the Wales field teams in Swansea Bay and will lead on data collation, cleaning and analysis. In his spare time he is loves hill walking and plays in a folk band.
Dr Bat Masterson, UCD
Dr Bartholomew Masterson is a Research Associate of the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science of University College Dublin. He is a Member of the International Water Association and of the Institute of Biology of Ireland. He was formerly a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at UCD.
He has had a long-standing involvement in research on the microbial pollution of recreational waters and water resources. His research group completed in 2001 an INTERREG-II funded, Irish-Welsh study of the impact of storm-related microbial pollution on recreational waters. His group was engaged through the INTERREG-IIIa programme (SMART) in extended research centred on two case-study estuaries and their associated catchments (concerning recreational water-quality in Dublin Bay and the quality of shellfish waters in Bannow Bay, Co. Wexford). He was the Irish project leader and a member of the International Management Board for the INTERREG-IIIb programme (iCREW) in collaboration with trans-national partners in France, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The work for iCREW involved the development of molecular biological source-tracking techniques to phenotype indicator microorganisms in the aquatic environment. He continues his interest in microbial pollution currently in the INTERREG-IVA (Ireland/Wales) project “Smart Coasts = Sustainable Communities”, and in two of the projects funded by the Irish EPA STRIVE programme.
He advised the Irish Government on the technical aspects of the revision of the EU Bathing Water Directive, and is continuing this consultation on the regulatory implications of the ensuing Irish Bathing Water Regulations.
Professor Michael Bruen, UCD
Michael initially taught on the International Postgraduate Hydrology Programme at University College Galway (Now NUI Galway) and then worked at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as Coordinator of their International Water Resources Engineering Programme, funded by Ireland's Bilateral Aid Programme. Michael returned to UCG after 5 years and then moved to UCD. Became Director of the M.Eng.Sc. (Water Engineering) Programme and later Michael became Director of the Centre for Water Resources Research. Michael has undertaken a number of short term assignments for various International agencies, including UNESCO, WMO, CEFIGRE, IUCN. Michael is currently Head of Research and Innovation in the School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering.
Dr John O'Sullivan, UCD
Dr John O’Sullivan is a lecturer in the School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering at UCD. Dr O’Sullivan’s current research is focused on river hydraulics, hydrology, flooding and the future sustainability of Dublin’s water resource requirements. Dr. O’Sullivan has led national and European projects in these areas that form part of the Irish Flood Studies Update programme and the ERA-Net CRUE research initiative to develop resilience in flood risk communities.
Professor Greg O'Hare, UCD
Professor Gregory O’Hare was the Head of the Department of Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD) 2001-2004 and is one of the Principal Investigators and founders of the Science Foundation Ireland funded (€16.4M) Centre for Science and Engineering Technologies (CSET) entitled CLARITY: The Centre for Sensor Web Technologies (2008-2013). He has published over 330 refereed publications in Journals and International Conferences, 6 books and has won significant grant income (ca €28.00M).
Dr Rem Collier, UCD
Rem Collier has a primary degree in pure and applied mathematics from the University of Bristol in 1994; a M.Sc. in Computation (Examination & Disseration) in 1995 and a M.Phil (Research) in 1996 from the University of Manchester Institute for Science and Technology (UMIST); and a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2001 from University College Dublin. After completing his Ph.D., Rem spent a year working in industry, in the area of web-based e-learning content management platforms for course authoring and localisation. In 2002, he returned to UCD where he worked as a Post Doctoral Researcher, and in 2003 he was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer. Finally, in 2005, Rem was appointed as a College Lecturer.
