Miss Sara S Attfield

I am fascinated by the wide range of processes on Earth, from microbes at a nanoscale, to entire planetary systems at a global scale. 

My PhD is project is on "Combining light and bacteria to design cheap and sustainable methods of arsenic and uranium removal from drinking water sources".

Iron-oxidising bacteria uses energy from sunlight and naturally produce iron biominerals which have been observed to be effective at removing heavy metalloids, such as uranium, in a process known as microbial bioremediation.  Microbial bioremediation has the potential to provide a point-of-source water treatment for rural communities that is economical, safe, and sustainable. My focus is on developing an appropriate water treatment for the Native American, Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota who rely on private groundwater wells susceptible to arsenic and uranium contamination.