New BBSRC FTMA Talent Gateway Placement Award

The Biodetection Technologies Hub at the University of Hertfordshire has been awarded the BBSRC Flexible Talent Mobility Account (FTMA) Talent Gateway Placement to develop AERIS (Aerosol Evaluation for Respiratory Infection Surveillance), a collaborative project with University of Leeds.

The project, led in collaboration with Professor Catherine Noakes and Dr Mark Tarn at the University of Leeds, will evaluate UH developed aerosol collector technologies using the Controlled Environment Chamber for Aerosol Measurement (CECAM) facility.

Dr Javier Espinosa Montiel will go on placement to investigate the performance of bioaerosol collectors under controlled indoor air and ventilation conditions representative of healthcare environments. Using safe biological surrogates relevant to healthcare associated infections, the project will assess how efficiently airborne biological material can be captured and subsequently detected using molecular approaches including DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR and LAMP assays.

The project aims to generate proof of concept data demonstrating the potential of aerosol based monitoring technologies for infection prevention and control in hospitals, clinics and long term care settings.

By improving early detection and environmental surveillance approaches, AERIS supports wider public health goals, including preparedness for future respiratory infection outbreaks and healthy ageing.

The placement will run from September to November 2026 and will strengthen collaboration between the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Leeds, supporting future research opportunities and knowledge exchange.

Good luck Javi and the team!