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Drinking water production is under mounting pressure to reduce both energy demand and chemical consumption. Project SandSCAPE, an Ofwat-funded programme, tackles this challenge by integrating purpose-built robots that skim slow sand filter beds while they remain flooded. Because already supplies most of London’s tap water with minimal chemical input, refining it through robotics offers a practical route to low-carbon, nature-based treatment that safeguards microbiological quality and boosts resilience to climate uncertainty.   

This three-year PhD will deliver the first full-scale evaluation of robotic maintenance for . Working with Thames Water’s Engineering Innovation Team at Kempton Park, you will:  

Benchmark two novel underwater skimming robots and a weed-management robot against conventional dry skimming in parallel operating filters.  

Quantify operational performance including headloss recovery, filtrate turbidity, biological stability and lifecycle carbon—using high-resolution sensor data and life-cycle assessment tools.  

Assess ecological change by applying shotgun metagenomics and amplicon sequencing to track microbial community shifts under persistent wet skimming.  

Translate lessons learned into engineering design rules for the next generation of autonomous maintenance platforms.  

 

 

Cranfield University is the UK’s leading postgraduate university for engineering and technology, renowned for partnering with industry to deliver applied research with global impact. The project is co-supervised by Dr Francis Hassard (Drinking Water & Biological Treatment) and Dr Michael Chipps (Thames Water, Research and Innovation Scientist). Thames Water is the nation’s largest water utility, serving 15 million customers—hosts a dedicated research hub at Kempton Park, offering unrivalled access to full-scale assets and an innovation culture eager to adopt practical solutions. The student will also benefit from the Cranfield Environment Analytical Facility providing access to state of the art chemical and genomics equipment.  

 

  The findings will underpin Thames Water’s strategy for chemical-free filtration, guiding investment decisions on autonomous skimming across its works. Results will be shared through peer-reviewed journals, industry white papers and presentations at flagship conferences such as Water Innovation Europe and the World Water Congress, shaping best practice for utilities worldwide.   

 

Throughout the doctorate you will be immersed in day-to-day operations at one of Europe’s largest slow-sand facilities, with strong interest from partner sites across England. Close collaboration with experts in robotics, environmental genomics and life-cycle assessment will broaden your professional network while a dedicated training budget allows you to attend specialised courses—such as drone photogrammetry or advanced bioinformatics—and to present at international conferences. An industrial placement within Thames Water’s Engineering Innovation team will provide commercial insight and help you build a CV that stands out in both academic and industrial spheres.  

 

By the end of the project you will have mastered environmental surveying, microbiological sampling, high-frequency sensor deployment, drone-based imaging and the bioinformatic analysis of complex metagenomic data. You will also become proficient in lifecycle carbon accounting and data-driven decision-making, all mapped to the Researcher Development Framework at Cranfield University. Regular milestone reports to a cross-sector steering board will hone your scientific writing and presentation skills, and these outputs will form the backbone of high-impact publications and your doctoral thesis. A good honours degree in engineering, environmental science, microbiology or a related STEM field is essential; full training in understanding slow-sand filter operation and robotic systems will be provided. Join us to modernise one of the world’s most sustainable water-treatment technologies for a net-zero future.