Bioaerosol as a measure of biodiversity and health related effects

Project description

Understanding the intricate relationship between environmental biodiversity and human health is a growing frontier in ecological and biomedical research. This project aims to investigate bioaerosols—airborne biological particles such as pollen, spores, bacteria, viruses, and fragments of plants and animals—as dynamic indicators of biodiversity in terrestrial and urban ecosystems. By characterizing the composition, seasonal variation, and spatial distribution of bioaerosols across diverse environments in Australia and India, the project will develop a novel framework for assessing ecosystem health and its implications for human well-being. The research will integrate high-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, and atmospheric sampling technologies to profile bioaerosol communities. These data will be correlated with environmental variables (e.g., vegetation cover, land use, pollution levels) and public health records to explore associations between bioaerosol diversity and the prevalence of chronic complex diseases such as asthma, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic syndromes. A key objective is to identify specific microbial and allergenic signatures in bioaerosols that may serve as early biomarkers of environmental degradation or health risk. The project will also explore how urbanization and climate change influence bioaerosol dynamics and their potential role in shaping immune responses and disease susceptibility. This interdisciplinary research bridges environmental science, microbiology, and epidemiology, offering insights into how airborne biodiversity can be harnessed as a tool for ecological monitoring and public health forecasting. The outcomes will inform policy on urban planning, air quality management, and biodiversity conservation, with implications for both Indian and Australian contexts.

Outcomes

We envisage the project would serve as a good training ground for a multidisciplinary project when the student would learn about eDNA, biodiversity, atmospheric science and the relationship of human health with the environment that populations inhabit. Peer-reviewed articles have been one of the primary outcomes from our early UQIDAR projects and we see publications enumerating biodiversity in different areas on two continents and the characterisation of of bioaerosols across ecosystems. We would examine correlations between bioaerosol profiles and chronic disease prevalence in the context of urbanisation and climate change. In additions it would produce data products such as interactive dashboards and/or GIS maps of bioaerosol diversity across regions. It will aid risk prediction via models linking bioaerosol exposure and environmental factors. This would be conducted in a One Health framework, linking ecosystem health to human health. Combined these will provide an evidence base for policy briefs for urban planners and health departments on biodiversity and air quality.

Essential capabilities

Use of statistical programs e.g. R and/or Stata, python, data analysis, public health

Desireable capabilities

programming, epidemiology, statistics

Expected qualifications (Course/Degrees etc.)

BSc, BBiostats, MPH, Environmental Science, Atmospheric Science, Medicine