Development and application of passive sampling technologies for per and poly- fluorinated substances

Developing reliable, fast and cost-efficient sampling methods for the monitoring of legacy and emerging per- and poly- fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) is important for advancing our understanding of their fate and behaviour in the environment. Determination of their transport is integral to site investigations, remediation strategies and regulatory decisions. The diverse structures and complex mixtures of PFAS, and the geographical scale of contamination, present enormous sampling challenges. The overall aim of this research is to develop sensitive passive sampling methods to quantify a wide range of current and emerging PFAS in aquatic systems. This project forms part of a US DoD Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) grant in collaboration with Colorado School of Mines, Griffith University and RPS Australia.

Rachel has completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science with Honours at The University of Queensland. She has worked as a research assistant on several research projects at QAEHS where she gained experience in coordinating environmental monitoring programs and various sampling techniques. Building on her undergraduate research in wastewater-based epidemiology, Rachel will use her PhD project to advance our understanding of the impacts of environmental chemical pollution by applying novel methods to assess spatial and temporal trends in population exposure.

Please note this is a PhD Confirmation milestone review.