Ultra-sensitive optical sensor system for detection of multiple pesticides in water

Water pollution is one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges, posing threats to ecosystems, communities, and economies. In Europe, researchers are engaging citizens to help tackle this issue, and a new collaboration between Ireland and Denmark is demonstrating the effectiveness of community action in protecting water resources. Funded by the Water4All Partnership, the STARDUST Project…

The 2025 DCU Water Blitz marks a significant milestone by placing advanced chemical detection tools directly into the hands of the public for the first time, setting a new standard for citizen-led science across Europe. Thank you to all citizen scientists!! to partners, and funders Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland, who made this collaboration possible. This is…

With enthusiastic support from students in DTU Sustain‘s master’s and bachelor’s programs in environmental technology, and aided by beautiful autumn weather and plenty of sunshine, 50 samples were collected along the Mølleåen River. These samples are now on their way to Ireland for analysis, and the results will be presented at #ResearchDay2026. We would like…

💡 Following the conclusion of the Eurosensors 2025 conference, we had the invaluable opportunity to hold a productive STARDUST project meeting with our esteemed partners at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences. The meeting facilitated engaging discussions that enhanced our collaboration and strengthened our collective efforts. This occasion allowed us to share…

We were proud to present our latest research on:🔬 Microfluidic design for precision exposure to environmental samples🧬 Metasurface development for SERS-based detection📊 Raman spectra database for pesticide identification🌧️ Passive sampling to assess the impact of extreme weather events on pesticide contamination Huge thanks to all partners for their contributions and to the conference organizers for…

This year, the primary focus is on the detection of persistent chemicals and pesticides within Ireland’s freshwater resources. These contaminants pose significant long-term risks to both ecological systems and human health. For more information about the work in progress, please visit the DCU web page.

In Denmark, DTU Sustain is behind Water Blitz at Mølle Å, as part of the STARDUST project, which is funded by the EU’s Water4All and Innovation Fund Denmark. Join researchers and students from DTU Sustain on Saturday, September 27, to investigate pesticides in Mølle Å. This family-friendly event invites all ages to contribute to important…

Chloe Martin, presented our first poster on “Mobilising Citizen Science for Resilient and Responsive Water Quality Monitoring” at the 2025 Conference on Analytical Science Ireland (CASi) hosted by UCC’s School of Chemistry,

This March, MSc student Chloe Martin (Dublin City University, DCU Water Institute) conducted initial trials of the new citizen science tool that is currently being developed for pesticide monitoring. Water samples were collected from two Dublin rivers—the Tolka River and the Santry River—to test the effectiveness of the tool in real-world conditions. One of the…

Interesting articles by Fiona Regan in Technology Networks: “Protecting Our Oceans Starts With Testing”

Our consortium had a productive meeting in Oslo to advance our latest innovation: an optical sensor designed to detect pesticides in surface and ground water. This groundbreaking technology will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and purity of our water sources by providing rapid and accurate detection of harmful substances.Our discussions focused on…

22nd-24th April 2024 – Madrid, Spain A beautiful occasion to discuss “Water problems”

Happy to work together!!! We are thrilled to announce that our project STARDUST officially kicked-off ! In collaboration with partners from DCU, DTU, IChF, IMT, and INCDFM we will work on developing an ultra-sensitive optical sensor system for simultaneous, in-situ detection of multiple pesticides in surface and ground waters. The project is financed under the…