Study level

  • PhD

Faculty/School

Faculty of Engineering

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Supervisors

Professor David McCarthy
Position
Professor in Water Engineering
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
Dr Luke Shi
Position
Lecturer in Sustainable Urban Water Management
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Engineering

Overview

Illicit discharges into stormwater networks threaten waterways, but current detection methods are often inefficient. This project develops a smart sensor network to identify and locate pollution sources in real time. The PhD will focus on:

  • optimal sensor placement: algorithms for location, type, and density selection
  • real-time alarm systems: fast, reliable detection to trigger inspections or robotic tracking
  • scalability: cost-effective strategies for city-wide deployment.

Research activities

As part of this project you will:

  • model stormwater networks and simulate pollution events to optimise sensor placement
  • develop and test alarm algorithms using historical data to minimise false alerts
  • analyse lifecycle costs and scalability for broader implementation.

Outcomes

Expected outcomes of this project are the development of:

  • a sensor placement tool for stormwater management
  • standardised alarm protocols for rapid response
  • guidelines for scaling sensor networks across cities.

Skills and experience

You will have:

  • experience with programming, data analysis, and hydrological modelling (e.g. SWMM)
  • an interest in sensor networks and environmental applications.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.