A student on the Sensor CDT, I am interested in the various ways in which bivalves may be employed as sensors of water quality. Part of my research involves investigation of the different behaviours of bivalves that can be measured as well as how these are impacted by changes in water quality. A device to measure these behaviours in freshwater mussels will be built and tested with a range of prominent and/or concerning pollutants, to evaluate the biosensing capacity of freshwater mussels. A further area of study will involve exploring the utility of mussel shells as an archive of past pollution episodes within a waterway. Since layers of shell growth are deposited in increments, and various (polluting) elements can be incorporated from the local water, a document of local water conditions over time may be gauged by measuring elemental composition across the growth increments.