MSCA Doctoral Network proposal in preparation | Planned submission: 2027

Climate change is making urban wastewater systems more variable, with changing flows, temperatures, and influent characteristics that may disturb the microbial processes responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Current wastewater treatment models and operational strategies often do not fully capture how climate-driven variability affects nitrification, denitrification, and enhanced biological phosphorus removal, limiting the capacity of utilities to predict, prevent, and manage process instability.

We are developing a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network proposal for submission in 2027 and are seeking partners to co-create an interdisciplinary and intersectoral training network on climate-resilient, microbiome-informed, and digitally supported wastewater treatment.

The network will train doctoral candidates at the interface of wastewater process engineering, microbial ecology, environmental biotechnology, climate adaptation, data science, AI, digital twins, circular economy, governance, and socio-technical transition research. The research will connect climate-driven wastewater variability, microbial nutrient-removal mechanisms, predictive monitoring, adaptive process control, and implementation pathways in real utilities.

We are looking for both technical partners and social partners, including universities, research institutes, utilities, WWTP operators, technology providers, SMEs, laboratories, public authorities, policy organizations, and stakeholder-engagement experts. Partners may contribute doctoral projects, case studies, data, supervision, secondments, training, pilot validation, or governance and implementation expertise.

Our ambition is to build a strong consortium that trains future experts able to design, operate, and govern wastewater treatment systems that remain robust under climate stress.