Dr Ana Castro-Castellon
DPhil Chemistry & Environmetal Engineering (Oxon), MSc by Research (University of Bristol), MSc Microbiology & Parasitology (Complutense U. M), BSc (Hon) Biology Zoology (Complutense U. Madrid)
Expertise
Freshwater ecosystem health is essential to life and at the heart of my professional and academic background. My aim is to improve water quality by identifying, preventing and treating pollution.
Current positions
Senior Research Associate
School of Geographical Sciences
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
My research is interdisciplinary with a focus on freshwater ecosystem health and how human disturbances, such as nutrients or microplastic pollution, affect lentic and lotic ecosystems. My experimental research is conducted at a range of physical scales: in the field where hydrology and water chemistry are key to biological processes; and in the laboratory to disentangle observed processes. A fundamental aspect of my research involves the use of sensors for monitoring, the ecological and metabolical study of aquatic microorganisms, and the application or development of inorganic and organic analytical techniques.
My main areas of interest include:
- Pollutants and pathways to assess environmental impact and mitigation on freshwaters.
- Passive (nature-based) and active (chemical) treatment of waters.
- Understanding metabolical reponses of freshwater microorganisms to environmental stressors.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Exhausted lives: The bitter juice of the cane never tasted
Principal Investigator
Description
This project follows the currents that once carried sugar, rum, and enslaved people from Caribbean plantations to Bristol. Water was the connective element of that economy: it spanned the Atlantic,…Managing organisational unit
School of Geographical SciencesDates
01/09/2025 to 30/11/2025
Storying the Avon: From freshwater science to folklore
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
In light of the catastrophic river health in Britain, this project seeks to connect Bristolians with their local river, the Avon using a mix of archival research, community engagement and…Managing organisational unit
School of Geographical SciencesDates
30/11/2024 to 30/08/2025
Quantifying the combined nutrient enrichment, pathogenic, and ecotoxicological impacts of livestock farming on UK rivers
Principal Investigator
Role
Researcher
Description
Livestock farming is the dominant farming type and source of organic matter pollution in UK freshwaters, with over 9.65Mcattle and 32.7M sheep on 10M hectares of grassland, representing 57% of…Managing organisational unit
School of Geographical SciencesDates
17/04/2023 to 16/09/2026
Thesis supervisions
Publications
Selected publications
17/04/2026Benthic diatoms and phytoplankton diversity in urban streams and ponds: charting a course for conservation
Biodiversity and Conservation
Hormesis and Antagonism in Low-Dose Phalaris Allelochemicals during Microcystis Control
Inland Waters
Ecotoxicity of microplastics to freshwater biota: Considering exposure and hazard across trophic levels
Science of the Total Environment
The role of rhizofiltration and allelopathy on the removal of cyanobacteria in a continuous flow system
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Lessons from the “Living-Filter”: An in-reservoir floating treatment wetland for phytoplankton reduction prior to a water treatment works intake
Ecological Engineering
Recent publications
16/05/2026Are laboratory-based stable isotope dosing experiments representative of field-based experiment outcomes when exploring the role of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems?: 2026 ASLO-SIL Joint Meeting
Determining the role of DOM as a nutrient resource in freshwater ecosystems using dual-labelled stable isotope probing: 2026 ASLO-SIL Joint Meeting
Seasonal patterns in preferential uptake of inorganic versus dual-labelled organic compounds by freshwater biota under eutrophic conditions: BIOGEOMON 2026
Benthic diatoms and phytoplankton diversity in urban streams and ponds: charting a course for conservation
Biodiversity and Conservation
Speciation/ Characterisation of Chemicals of Concern in Livestock Farming Systems: SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting - SETAC Europe Annual Meeting
SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting
Related people
Professor Ian Bull
Professor of Analytical Chemistry
School of Chemistry
Dr Charlotte Lloyd
Associate Professor in Environmental Chemistry
School of Geographical Sciences
Professor Richard Evershed
Professor
School of Chemistry
Professor Penny Johnes
Professor of Biogeochemistry
School of Geographical Sciences