海角论坛

Dr Charles Knapp

Reader

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Contact

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Personal statement

Dr Knapp is an award-winning, international teacher and an active researcher in the "" (WESP) research centre.

Think you can live without microbes?听 Do you want to take that challenge?

Microorganisms are omnipresent and capable of impacting the entire biosphere. They, especially bacteria, are highly diverse in structure and function, and they can play a significant role in the cycling of nutrients, remediation of contamination, and public health. Unfortunately, many people often overlook the ecological interactions within the microbial communities that support the process. Understanding these interactions requires knowledge of organisms' distribution and abundance and their interactions in an environmental setting. Further, it requires analytical tools to examine microbial organisms in an effective and timely fashion. Fortunately, high throughput culture-independent molecular methods are allowing researchers to monitor these interactions quantitatively. My research interest involves the integration of state-of-the-art microbiological measurement technologies and ecological principles into the realm of environmental protection and sustainability.

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Prize And Awards

Recipient
1/4/2026
Recipient
19/6/2018
Recipient
11/5/2018
Recipient
5/2016
Recipient
14/5/2015
Recipient
2014

Qualifications

Work Experience

  • 2018 to current, Reader听
  • 2009 to 2018, Senior Lecturer,
  • 2006 to 2009, Senior Researcher, , England
  • 2006, PDRA, Dept. Geological Sciences, The University of Kansas, USA
  • 2002 to 2006, Researcher/instructor; CEAE, , USA

Additional Qualifications:

  • 2015 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)听
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Publications

Hands Catherine L, Gupta Sonia, Neumann Anke, , Ahammad Ziaddin S, Snape Jason, Graham David W
Environmental Pollution Vol 409 (2026)
Naim Wissal, Manetsberger Julia, , G贸mez Natacha Caballero, Benomar Nabil, Abriouel Hikmate
Food Science and Technology Vol 250 (2026)
,
Eurasian Soil Science Vol 59 (2026)
, ,
Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Vol 26, pp. 2919-2933 (2026)
, Gough Milo, Nkhoma Bryson, Chirwa Elias, , , Mulwafu Wapulumuka
Isis Vol 117, pp. 3-26 (2026)
,
Environmental Pollution and Management Vol 3, pp. 24-41 (2025)

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Teaching

Management roles:

Classes:

  • Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering - IJEP (CL248; 2026 - )
  • Water & Environmental Systems - IJEP (CL338; 2025 - current)
  • Financial Engineering (EF929/CL504/EF963; 2025 - current)
  • Independent research projects (e.g., CL973, CL998, CL999; current)
  • Dissertations/theses (year 4, MSc, MRes; current)
  • Engineering Mathematics (CL329/CL331; 2024)
  • Water & Wastewater Treatment Design (CL447/CL978; to 2024)
  • Principles of Environmental Microbiology (CL430/CL948; to 2025)
  • Environmental Pollution Management (CL970, 2023)
  • Environmental Engineering (CL328, to 2016)
  • Research Methods (to 2016)
  • Environmental Chemistry (to 2013)
  • Engineereing Statistics & Modelling (to 2011)

Other classes (other than 海角论坛)

  • Environmental microbiology for engineers (Gdansk U. Technology, Poland)
  • Natural product microiology (Gdansk U. Technology, Poland)
  • Soil ecology and bioremediation (Gdanks U. Technology, Poland)
  • Geotechnical microbiology (IIT-Bombay, India)
  • Bioremediation (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Biological aspects of environmental engineering (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Environmental chemistry (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Statistics (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Limnology (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Introduction to environmental engineering (U. Kansas, USA)
  • Kansas algebra programme (U. Kansas)

Awards:

  • 2018 - Teaching Excellence Awards, nominated
  • 2016 - Teaching Excellence Awards, shortlisted Best in Faculty.
  • 2015 - Teaching Excellence Awards, shortlisted Best in Faculty.
  • 2015 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • 2014 - Teaching Excellence Awards, shortlisted Overall Best Supportive Teacher

International courses

  • IJEP programme (海角论坛) at Yunnan University, China (2025 - current)
  • Gdansk University of Technology (Poland), Inter-Applied Chemistry (2020)
  • Rajamangala University of Technology-Krungthep (Thailand), International School (2020)
  • Gdansk University of Technology (Poland, 2018)
  • Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Department of Civil Engineering (India, 2017)
  • Gdansk University of Technology (Poland, 2014-15)
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Research Interests

  1. Environmental Microbiology
  2. Eco-toxicology
  3. Soil & Water Quality
  4. Antimicrobial resistance in the environment
My research is grounded in ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology, with a particular focus on understanding how pollutants influence microbial ecology, ecosystem functioning, and environmental health. I investigate the ecological impacts of contaminants including metals, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance determinants, and emerging pollutants in natural and engineered systems. By integrating environmental chemistry, molecular microbiology, ecological risk assessment, and environmental engineering, my work seeks to understand contaminant fate and effects while developing sustainable solutions for pollution mitigation, ecosystem restoration, and environmental protection. A major current focus is the role of environmental stressors in driving antimicrobial resistance, positioning AMR as an emerging ecotoxicological challenge at the interface of environmental and public health.

Some on-going projects:听

Hydrocarbon / petroleum degradation (e.g., PTDF, Prairie Wetland Research Facility)
My research on hydrocarbon degradation examines the microbial processes responsible for the breakdown of petroleum contaminants in environmental systems. Using molecular, microbiological, and environmental analyses, I investigate the factors that control biodegradation and bioremediation in soils, sediments, groundwater, and engineered systems, with the aim of developing sustainable approaches for contaminated site remediation and ecosystem recovery.

Team AWARE - Amoebae With Antimicrobial Resistant Endosymbionts (with UWS and IISD-ELA, U. Manitoba, etc.)

The project examines the role of free-living amoebae (a protozoan found in waters and sediment) as a mechanism and vector in developing and spreading antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Free-living amoebae harbour bacteria and essentially could be protected, to an extent, from toxic compounds in the environment. However, for some additional reason, they further enhance the potential for bacteria to become resistant. Some of the bacteria are fish pathogens. So their mechanism as a driving force for drug resistance must be investigated.

  • This investigation takes place within a whole-lake exposure study at the Experimental Lakes Area (Ontario), which includes the impacts of multiple trophic levels within a lake--including Lake Trout. Comparisons of bacterial populations and their resistance traits in the water, sediment, amoebae, and fish will be made as preliminary results towards understanding whether similarities in their distribution occur and whether QAC disinfectants also contribute to the selection pressure.
  • (press release)

Team听DAGGAR听-听Dangerous听and听Growing听Globally,听Antimicrobial听Resistance.听

Work related to antimicrobial resistance evolved from pharmaceutical eco-toxicology with the development of microbial-community endpoints. This work resulted in international exposure and award-winning publications. International collaborations include researchers and government/policy agencies in Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Lebanon, and The Netherlands. The research focus has been to measure resistance genes and antibiotics in the environment quantitatively; it extends previous qualitative observations to a predictive level aimed at solving practical problems. 听The investigations of PEC (pollutants of emerging concern) continue, as it remains a contemporary international problem.

Team听ARMOR听鈥撎�Antimicrobial Resistance May听Offer听Resilience? (stability and resilience of microbial communities and performance during pollution stress).听

Microbial community dynamics are examined in response to contaminant exposure in engineered bioreactors. The research endeavours to find ecologically resilient and economically robust processes to avoid significant investment in a new (or upgraded) treatment process as new regulations emerge.

GR-AMS听- . 听Multi-disciplinary, collaborative project.

British Colonialism, Marine Sciences and Fisheries Governance. Interdisciplinary project with the History Department and U. Mzuzu in Malawi.听

听

Professional Activities

Speaker
14/8/2025
Participant
13/8/2025
Speaker
12/8/2025
Contributor
1/8/2025
Contributor
1/8/2025
Visiting researcher
15/10/2024

Projects

Wilson, David (Principal Investigator) Knapp, Charles (Co-investigator) Morse, Tracy (Research Co-investigator)
27-Jan-2026 - 26-Jan-2028
Knapp, Charles (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2025
Lord, Richard (Principal Investigator) Knapp, Charles (Co-investigator) Li, Jun (Co-investigator) Liggat, John (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2025
Wilson, David (Principal Investigator) Knapp, Charles (Co-investigator) Morse, Tracy (Co-investigator)
04-Jan-2022 - 03-Jan-2023
Ward, Andrew (Principal Investigator) Knapp, Charles (Co-investigator)
23-Jan-2020 - 30-Jan-2021
Ward, Andrew (Principal Investigator) Corrigan, Damion (Co-investigator) Knapp, Charles (Co-investigator)
09-Jan-2020 - 08-Jan-2021

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Contact

Dr Charles Knapp
Reader
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: charles.knapp@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3351