Mr Luke Hillary

Affiliations
Contact info
Email: luke.hillary@bangor.ac.uk
Twitter: @lukehillary
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luke_Hillary2
Overview
Thesis title: Reducing the risk of viral contamination of the UK’s food and water supply
Background
I completed my MBiolSci at the University of Sheffield in 2009 in Biochemistry and Microbiology and spent two years at the University of York investigating protein-protein interactions in E. coli. I subsequently trained as a secondary school chemistry teacher and taught in several schools in Leeds and North Yorkshire. In 2017, I returned to research by joining the STARS PhD programme at Bangor University.
Project description:
I am examining how sewage sludge treatments affect the viral communities of soil. At present, we know that human pathogenic viruses such as hepatitis and norovirus can be detected in both sewage sludge and soil. What we don’t have is an overall understanding of how long these viruses persist in the soil, what affects this persistence, and for how long viruses remain infective. Sludge-amended soils have the potential to act as reservoirs of pathogenic viruses which could leach into watercourses over time or during storm events, or contaminate crops and livestock. By combining viral metagenomics with qPCR and infectivity studies, I am aiming to increase our understanding of the flow of viruses through this underexplored route, and address the possible policy implications for sludge disposal as part of food production.
Contact Info
Email: luke.hillary@bangor.ac.uk
Twitter: @lukehillary
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luke_Hillary2
Education / academic qualifications
- Other , PGCE Chemistry (2011 - 2012)
- Other , MBiolSci Biochemistry and Microbiology (1st class honours) (2005 - 2009)
Research outputs (6)
- Published
Concentration and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using polyethylene glycol-based concentration and qRT-PCR
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
- Published
Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine and its potential role in person-to-person transmission and the environment-based spread of COVID-19
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
- Published
Wastewater and public health: the potential of wastewater surveillance for monitoring COVID-19
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Prof. activities and awards (5)
STARS Conference 2020
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
Life, but not as we know it: exploring RNA viral diversity in soils through viromics
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Society for Applied Microbiology 8th Early Career Scientist Research Symposium
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
Accolades (3)
Molecular Microbial Ecology Group Meeting (MMEG 2019) Oral Communication Prize
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Best poster prize
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
FEMS Microbiology Letters Poster Prize
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)