James Watt School of Engineering

Dr Marta Vignola

  • Lecturer (Infrastructure & Environment)

Research interests

Biography 

After completing my undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, I gained my Master's degree from the University of Bologna specialising in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology.  After few years working between university, industry and Environmental Consultancies, I completed a PhD at Newcastle University within a Marie Curie International Training Network (MERMAID-ITN), investigating the mechanisms driving the assembly of microbial communities in water filters. 

In 2017, I joined the University of Glasgow as a post-doctoral research associate working on a project in collaboration with Scottish Water. My work focused on the implementation of ecological models into the development of tools for the effective design and management of biofiltration systems. I was also involved in a collaborative project between the University of Glasgow and the University of Daar Salaam. The study aimed at understanding the access to safe and sustainable water for domestic use in the city of Daar Salaam (Tanzania), investigating the quality of water sources and how such data can be used to enhance the public’s capability to engage with water governance institutions.

In October 2019, I started my Royal Academy of Engineering for Development Research Fellowship on the development of Eco-engineered biofilters for the sustainable removal of pesticides from drinking water in Brazil.

As engineers, we attempt to eradicate microbes in drinking water treatment plants and distribution systems while, on the other hand, we try to harness their metabolic power to clean-up waste and wastewater. Through my academic research and my experiences working in the industry, I have developed a unique combination of skills that lie at the interface between engineering, fundamental ecology, and environmental microbiology. My great ambition is to help us move toward a more sustainable future for water treatment technologies by developing theories and tools for the control and management of engineered microbial communities.

Research Interests

  • Understanding ecological patterns of microbial communities with a focus on engineered environments; 
  • Application of molecular tools and ecological models to predict and manipulate microbial communities for environmental solutions;
  • Development of low-cost, low-energy treatments solutions for drinking water production in developed and developing countries. 

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2012
Number of items: 18.

2026

Khan, Uzma, Quinn, Dominic, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Smith, Cindy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 and Sloan, William ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 (2026) Neural network-driven nonlinear analysis of beta diversity in microbial communities with DeepBeta. In: 12th International Conference on Biomedical and Bioinformatics Engineering (ICBBE 2025), Tokyo, Japan, 27-30 Nov 2025, (Accepted for Publication)

2025

Quinn, Dominic, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Moore, Graeme, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090, Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031, Ijaz, Umer, Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2025) Deterministically selected rare taxa drive changes in community composition in drinking water biological activated carbon filters. Environmental Microbiome, (doi: 10.1186/s40793-025-00820-4) (PMID:41276853) (In Press)

Cholet, Fabien, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Quinn, Dominic, Ijaz, Umer Z., Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2025) Microbial ecology of drinking water biofiltration based on 16S rRNA sequencing: a meta-analysis. Water Research, 281, 123684. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123684) (PMID:40280003)

2024

Shi, X. et al. (2024) Microbial stratification and DOM removal in drinking water biofilters: implications for enhanced performance. Water Research, 262, 122053. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122053)

Cossu, Laura O., De Aquino, Sérgio Francisco, Filho, César Rossas Mota, Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 and Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748 (2024) Review on pesticide contamination and drinking water treatment in Brazil: the need for improved treatment methods. ACS ES&T Water, 4(9), pp. 3629-3644. (doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c00063)

2023

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Quinn, Dominic, Ijaz, Umer Zeeshan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5780-8551, Pereira, Ryan, Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090, Moore, Graeme, Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2023) Differential utilisation of dissolved organic matter compound fractions by different biofilter microbial communities. AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, 72(10), pp. 1837-1851. (doi: 10.2166/aqua.2023.036)

Keith, N. et al. (2023) Regenerative Futures: From Global to Local Development in 2032. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.295862) [Exhibitions]

2022

Ogundero, Ayo, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090 and Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 (2022) Validating flow cytometry as a method for quantifying Bdellovibrio predatory bacteria and Its prey for microbial ecology. Microbiology Spectrum, 10(1), e01033-21. (doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01033-21) (PMID:35196816) (PMCID:PMC8865432)

2020

Kinnunen-Grubb, Marta, Sapkota, Rumakanta, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Nunes, Inês Marques and Nicolaisen, Mogens (2020) Breeding selection imposed a differential selective pressure on the wheat root-associated microbiome. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 96(11), fiaa196. (doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa196) (PMID:32970821)

2018

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, David, Hammes, Frederik, King, Lianna C. and Davenport, Russell J. (2018) Flow-cytometric quantification of microbial cells on sand from water biofilters. Water Research, 143, pp. 66-76. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.053) (PMID:29940363)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, David, Wade, Matthew J., Meynet, Paola and Davenport, Russell J. (2018) Medium shapes the microbial community of water filters with implications for effluent quality. Water Research, 129, pp. 499-508. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.09.042) (PMID:29195186)

2017

Ulrich, Bridget A., Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Edgehouse, Katelynn, Werner, David and Higgins, Christopher P. (2017) Organic carbon amendments for enhanced biological attenuation of trace organic contaminants in biochar-amended stormwater biofilters. Environmental Science and Technology, 51(16), pp. 9184-9193. (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01164) (PMID:28628297)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D. and Davenport, R.J. (2017) Evaluating Neutral Assembly in the Formation of Water Filters Microbial Communities [oral presentation]. 14th IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 29 May - 02 June 2017. (Unpublished)

2016

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D. and Davenport, R.J. (2016) Niche and Neutral Effects in Lab Scale Water Filter Communities [poster]. 16th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada, 21-26 Aug 2016. (Unpublished)

2015

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D., Iceton, G., Meynet, P. and Davenport, R.J. (2015) Filter Material Shapes the Bacterial Community in Water Filters [oral presentation]. IWA Specialized Conference: Biofilms in Drinking Water Systems: from Treatment to Tap, Arosa, Switzerland, 23-26 Aug 2015. (Unpublished)

2012

Negroni, Andrea, Zanaroli, Giulio, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Fava, Fabio and Shu, Hung-Yee (2012) Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by means of Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron (NZVNI) particles. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 11(10), pp. 1733-1739.

Negroni, Andrea, Zanaroli, Giulio, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Fava, Fabio and Shu, Hung-Yee (2012) Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by means of nanoscale zero-valent nickel-iron (NZVNI) particles. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 11(10), pp. 1733-1740.

Zanaroli, Giulio, Negroni, Andrea, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Nuzzo, Andrea, Shu, Hung-Yee and Fava, Fabio (2012) Enhancement of microbial reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a marine sediment by nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) particles. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 87(9), pp. 1246-1253. (doi: 10.1002/jctb.3835)

This list was generated on Sat Jan 31 02:30:22 2026 GMT.
Jump to: Articles | Conference or Workshop Item | Conference Proceedings | Exhibitions
Number of items: 18.

Articles

Quinn, Dominic, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Moore, Graeme, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090, Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031, Ijaz, Umer, Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2025) Deterministically selected rare taxa drive changes in community composition in drinking water biological activated carbon filters. Environmental Microbiome, (doi: 10.1186/s40793-025-00820-4) (PMID:41276853) (In Press)

Cholet, Fabien, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Quinn, Dominic, Ijaz, Umer Z., Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2025) Microbial ecology of drinking water biofiltration based on 16S rRNA sequencing: a meta-analysis. Water Research, 281, 123684. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123684) (PMID:40280003)

Shi, X. et al. (2024) Microbial stratification and DOM removal in drinking water biofilters: implications for enhanced performance. Water Research, 262, 122053. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122053)

Cossu, Laura O., De Aquino, Sérgio Francisco, Filho, César Rossas Mota, Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 and Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748 (2024) Review on pesticide contamination and drinking water treatment in Brazil: the need for improved treatment methods. ACS ES&T Water, 4(9), pp. 3629-3644. (doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c00063)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Quinn, Dominic, Ijaz, Umer Zeeshan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5780-8551, Pereira, Ryan, Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090, Moore, Graeme, Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031 and Smith, Cindy J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 (2023) Differential utilisation of dissolved organic matter compound fractions by different biofilter microbial communities. AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, 72(10), pp. 1837-1851. (doi: 10.2166/aqua.2023.036)

Ogundero, Ayo, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Connelly, Stephanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-2090 and Sloan, William T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 (2022) Validating flow cytometry as a method for quantifying Bdellovibrio predatory bacteria and Its prey for microbial ecology. Microbiology Spectrum, 10(1), e01033-21. (doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01033-21) (PMID:35196816) (PMCID:PMC8865432)

Kinnunen-Grubb, Marta, Sapkota, Rumakanta, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Nunes, Inês Marques and Nicolaisen, Mogens (2020) Breeding selection imposed a differential selective pressure on the wheat root-associated microbiome. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 96(11), fiaa196. (doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa196) (PMID:32970821)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, David, Hammes, Frederik, King, Lianna C. and Davenport, Russell J. (2018) Flow-cytometric quantification of microbial cells on sand from water biofilters. Water Research, 143, pp. 66-76. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.053) (PMID:29940363)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, David, Wade, Matthew J., Meynet, Paola and Davenport, Russell J. (2018) Medium shapes the microbial community of water filters with implications for effluent quality. Water Research, 129, pp. 499-508. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.09.042) (PMID:29195186)

Ulrich, Bridget A., Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Edgehouse, Katelynn, Werner, David and Higgins, Christopher P. (2017) Organic carbon amendments for enhanced biological attenuation of trace organic contaminants in biochar-amended stormwater biofilters. Environmental Science and Technology, 51(16), pp. 9184-9193. (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01164) (PMID:28628297)

Negroni, Andrea, Zanaroli, Giulio, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Fava, Fabio and Shu, Hung-Yee (2012) Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by means of Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron (NZVNI) particles. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 11(10), pp. 1733-1739.

Negroni, Andrea, Zanaroli, Giulio, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Fava, Fabio and Shu, Hung-Yee (2012) Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by means of nanoscale zero-valent nickel-iron (NZVNI) particles. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 11(10), pp. 1733-1740.

Zanaroli, Giulio, Negroni, Andrea, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Nuzzo, Andrea, Shu, Hung-Yee and Fava, Fabio (2012) Enhancement of microbial reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a marine sediment by nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) particles. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 87(9), pp. 1246-1253. (doi: 10.1002/jctb.3835)

Conference or Workshop Item

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D. and Davenport, R.J. (2017) Evaluating Neutral Assembly in the Formation of Water Filters Microbial Communities [oral presentation]. 14th IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 29 May - 02 June 2017. (Unpublished)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D. and Davenport, R.J. (2016) Niche and Neutral Effects in Lab Scale Water Filter Communities [poster]. 16th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada, 21-26 Aug 2016. (Unpublished)

Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Werner, D., Iceton, G., Meynet, P. and Davenport, R.J. (2015) Filter Material Shapes the Bacterial Community in Water Filters [oral presentation]. IWA Specialized Conference: Biofilms in Drinking Water Systems: from Treatment to Tap, Arosa, Switzerland, 23-26 Aug 2015. (Unpublished)

Conference Proceedings

Khan, Uzma, Quinn, Dominic, Vignola, Marta ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-5748, Lenselink, Jeanine, Smith, Cindy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730 and Sloan, William ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384 (2026) Neural network-driven nonlinear analysis of beta diversity in microbial communities with DeepBeta. In: 12th International Conference on Biomedical and Bioinformatics Engineering (ICBBE 2025), Tokyo, Japan, 27-30 Nov 2025, (Accepted for Publication)

Exhibitions

Keith, N. et al. (2023) Regenerative Futures: From Global to Local Development in 2032. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.295862) [Exhibitions]

This list was generated on Sat Jan 31 02:30:22 2026 GMT.

Grants

  • Royal Academy of Engineering for Development Research Fellowship (2019-2024): Eco-Engineered biofilters for sustainable removal of pesticides in drinking water (625k) 
  • Scottish Funding Council GCRF internal call (2018): Using flow-cytometry for monitoring waste and water treatment performance; workshop and roundtable (30k)

Supervision

  • Singer, Sophie
    From Waste to Resource: Harnessing Supramolecular Gelation of Low-Molecular-Weight Pharmaceuticals for Recovery and Remediation
  • Swedan, Ali Almabrouk M
    Enhanced adsorption and biodegradation processes for the removal of pesticides in drinking water treatment plants
  • Vironika, *
    The biofilm particle size distribution and its characteristic in drinking water under hydrological conditions

Research datasets

Jump to: 2023
Number of items: 2.

2023

Shi, X., Vignola, M. and Savage, L. (2023) Microbial Stratification and DOM Removal in Drinking Water Biofilters Implications for Enhanced Performance. [Data Collection]

Vignola, M. (2023) Differential utilisation of dissolved organic matter compound fractions by different biofilter microbial communities. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Sat Jan 31 06:10:24 2026 GMT.

Dr Marta Vignola on Twitter