Contact Nick Dawson
Background
Nick Dawson obtained his undergratuate degree in Biomedicine from the Univercity of East Anglia and later went on to study an MSc in Clinical Microbiology at the Univercity of Nottingham.
Initially working on antimicrobial resistance surviellance and related research for LGC, before moving into vetinary research at the Waltham centre of pet nutrition. Nick then joined the human-host interactions group at the Wellcome Sanger Institute as the culture collection curator organising and helping to harness their large catalog of novel anearobic microbes.
Research opportunities
Understanding the pathogen reduction mechanisms in the vermicomposting toilet. Already widely implemented and gaining in popularity due to it's effectiveness, the 'Tiger' toilet' is a green, cost effective, and relatively pleasant sanitary solution compared to the standard pit latrine. A better understanding of the key processes driving it could help future design and ensure safety, with any additonal findings potentially aiding confidence and encourage implementation. Namely there are many microbial communities at play; interacting between the waste, worm microbome, compost and filtrate. Understanding these dynamics, could aid engineering design or best practice. A hope would be to evaluate or identify additives which could aid stablility and/or efficient pathogen reduction.
Clients
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
