Based in Adelaide, Kelly joined WaterRA after completing her PhD in 2016 and over time has progressed from Research Co-ordinator to now Senior Research Manager.

During her tenure Kelly has spearheaded WaterRA’s collaborative research on catchment management, recreational access, antimicrobial resistance and wastewater-based epidemiology – being at the forefront of designing innovative research with our members, ensuring they build capability and achieve impact in their business. Most notably Kelly co-created and led our ColoSSoS Project – Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 – the water industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re immensely grateful for all the contributions that Kelly has made during her time with us,” said Karen Rouse, WaterRA CEO.

“Although Kelly will be missed, and leaves large shoes to fill, we are delighted she will be staying within the sector having accepted a role at Isle Utilities. We are looking forward to strengthening our collaboration with Isle to seamlessly bridge the gap between research and innovation.”

Over the coming weeks WaterRA’s Research Managers will work to ensure that Kelly’s projects are successfully transitioned to other members of the team. As this occurs we will notify project partners of their new contact.

The Board and staff of WaterRA wish Kelly all the best in her new role and thank her for her passion and commitment to the organisation over the past six years.

The post Farewell Dr Kelly Hill appeared first on Water Research Australia.

The techniques developed in Australia have now been trialed in both low prevalence case settings as well as during the height of the Australian outbreaks and can be confidently adapted and applied in these scenarios in Suva, Fiji.

The project has been structured in a similar way to ColoSSoS Mekong, with SA Water providing both utility and laboratory expertise to developed tailored sampling and analysis protocols. Australian health departments will also be engaged in a formal capacity to provide tailored advice to Fijian counterparts.

The international work to date has seen the application of SARS-CoV-2 detection and analysis practices outside of Australia in the Mekong region, through the sharing of tools, protocols, and best practice skills, and knowledge. These wastewater monitoring techniques will remain relevant if new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerge globally, and current global and Australian research efforts focus on the identification of new strains in the community and ports of entry, as well as the quantification of proportions of these variants within community populations. Its use in Fiji will provide the heath agency with valuable information to make critical decisions to protect the community.

To date, Project Delivery Group have established working relationships between Australian and Fijian laboratory and utility partners. Health agency connections are currently also being established, and work is underway to specify laboratory equipment and consumables, some of which will be shipped to Fiji by the project team. Furthermore, tailored guidelines and protocols are being written for use by Fijian counterparts and first drafts of these are expected to be completed by the end of April 2022.

WaterRA’s continued involvement in these projects has provided our Australian Members an opportunity to elevate their international profile through DFAT-funded collaborations under the umbrella of the Australian Water Partnership. Furthermore, this sharing of Australian knowledge and skills supports Australia’s regional response to the ever-evolving Covid-19 situation, providing tools and strategies to help protect communities both in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The post ColoSSoS work continues in Fiji appeared first on Water Research Australia.