Research

1. Environmental surveillance for transmission of enteric pathogens and fecal contamination, including zoonotic transmission and understudied exposure pathways (e.g. household soil, child hands).
    
2. Links between our changing climate and waterborne transmission of human pathogens, with an aim to identify sustainable mitigation strategies for vulnerable populations.
    
3. Novel water, sanitation, and hygiene technologies that require minimal behavior change and are appropriate for settings lacking piped water supplies.

Current research projects in the Pickering Lab include:

1. Exploring transmission of antibiotic resistant and pathogenic bacteria between humans, animals, and the environment in urban Kenya with hybrid metagenome assembly.
    
2. The role of environmental surveillance in monitoring the impact of soil transmitted helminth control programs. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
    
3. Development of an Environmental Monitoring System Using Nanopore Sequencing for Detecting Antimicrobial Resistance Genes. Funded by the Tufts CTSI seed grant program (UL1TR002544).
    
4. Impact of water chlorination on child carriage of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Funded by the Thrasher Research Foundation.
    
5. Effect of water treatment on child survival in rural Kenya. Funded by the Saint Anthony Foundation.
    
6. Effect of climate change on household drinking water access in sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by Tufts Collaborates.