University of the West of England
Sensor Technology for Clean Water
Finalist, Research with Impact
Finalist, Research with Impact
About
Darren Reynolds and Robin Thorn have spent two decades developing a ‘Living Lab’ at UWE Bristol that has turned fundamental water science and sensor development into deployable technology that saves lives, drives commercial growth, protects rivers and provides clean water. Their work – spanning real-time biological sensing,
electrochemical disinfection, and catchment-scale monitoring – is a beacon for research with measurable, sustained global impact. From deploying off-grid innovations to help treat contaminated boreholes in rural India, resolving contaminated water supply to a Romanian Hospital through a novel treatment system, to catchment scale monitoring of England's most-threatened rivers, their technologies have helped provide clean water where it is desperately needed and been used to improve river health.
Top 3 learnings
1. Our research loop – discovery, teaching, doctoral training, commercialisation – continuously strengthens itself.
2. We learned that decentralised, community-embedded solutions outlast imposed interventions.
3. Our sensor technology (developed nationally and internationally) is a powerful tool for improving river health.
SDGs
6 - Clean water and sanitation
What it means to win
Winning a Green Gown Award would be a profound recognition that UWE Bristol's commitment to applied research and the living lab model has the power to transform lives internationally.
| 2026 | |
| Research with Impact | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
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