PhD Position in Monitoring Weather-Driven Pathogen Dynamics in Cooling Water Systems

Challenge: Uncertainty of pathogen growth in cooling water systems
Change: Targeted monitoring identifies key risk factors for growth
Impact: Better decisions for safer cooling towers

Job description

Operational and treatment measures can help limit the growth of opportunistic pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila, in cooling tower water. However, extreme heat and water events can disrupt system conditions in ways that promote pathogen growth and potentially increase the release of contaminated aerosols, thereby raising risks to human health. Although pathogen monitoring in cooling water can help assess whether microbiological control is maintained, current approaches do not capture the short-term growth dynamics associated with weather events, leaving risk estimates highly uncertain. Validated methods to determine when and where pathogen concentrations increase in cooling water systems, and to translate these dynamics into weather-informed risk predictions, are still lacking.

In this PhD project, you will investigate the occurrence and concentrations of opportunistic pathogens in water from full-scale cooling towers in the Netherlands and Brazil, with possible extension to irrigation systems. You will develop practical methods to monitor and predict pathogen growth events under weather-driven stress conditions, supporting more transparent, efficient, and risk-based decisions for the design and operation of climate-resilient cooling water systems.

You will:

• Develop and implement pathogen monitoring strategies for cooling water systems.
• Assess how pathogen concentrations vary across time, space, and weather conditions.
• Create an early warning system to support climate-resilient water safety management.
• Work with academic, governmental, and industrial partners in the Netherlands and Brazil.
• Present research at international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.

You will join the Sanitary Engineering Section of TU Delft’s Department of Water Management and work with Hydroscope, KWR Water Research Institute, and The Green Village on the development of monitoring and risk assessment strategies. You will collaborate with researchers from Radboud University for microbiological analyses and from the University of São Paulo to compare findings across climatic and operational contexts. As part of our diverse and supportive team of PhDs, postdocs, researchers, and professors, you will receive all the support needed to develop your skills and build your career. Your daily supervisor will be Dr. Émile Sylvestre, Prof. Doris van Halem will serve as the promoter, and a co-promoter from Radboud University will join the supervision team.

Job requirements

We are looking for a curious and motivated candidate with:

• An MSc degree (or equivalent) in civil, environmental, or chemical engineering, or in microbiology with strong interest in quantitative modelling.
• Hands-on laboratory experience in microbiology or water treatment, and a willingness to learn microbial quantification techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse quantitative data using tools such as R and Python.
• Excellent English communication skills.
• Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary research environment and collaborate with industry and governmental partners.

TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.