Dr Baptiste Poursat
- Research Associate (Infrastructure & Environment)
email:
Baptiste.Poursat@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
He/him/his
Biography
I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, where I’ve been based since 2022. I work on decentralised water technologies within the Water and Environment group. My background is in environmental chemistry and microbiology, and I hold a PhD from the University of Amsterdam. I’m particularly interested in how advanced analytical tools can help us better understand and protect water systems.
Currently, my research focuses on two main areas: detecting organic micropollutants (OMPs) in drinking water and wastewater using high-resolution mass spectrometry, and developing novel methods to measure microbial metabolic activity in wastewater through volatile organic compounds profiling. These approaches support improved pollution tracking, treatment assessment, and the design of smarter monitoring strategies.
I collaborate on the development of nano-plasmonic sensors for real-time water quality monitoring. This collaborative project brings together chemistry, environmental science, and sensor technology to create tools that can be deployed in both large-scale utilities and decentralised settings.
My research vision is to make invisible water contaminants visible, whether through sensors, chemical fingerprints, or metabolomic analysis, and to contribute to more sustainable, resilient, and accessible water monitoring and treatment systems.
Qualifications:
- PhD in environmental chemistry from the University of Amsterdam (2020)
- MsC in ecotoxociology and environmental chemistry from the University of Bordeaux (2014)
- BsC in ecology and environmental biology from the University of Bordeaux (2012)
Research interests
-
Advanced environmental analytics using TD-GC-MS and LC-MS/MS to profile volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and micropollutants (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, PFAs) in complex water matrices.
-
Development of decentralised water monitoring tools, including passive sampling and nano-plasmonic sensors, for application in both high-resource and low-resource settings.
-
Organic carbon characterisation in surface water and drinking water using fluorescence and FEEM analysis.
- Bioreactors to study the co-metabolic biodegradation of organic micropollutants in surface water and groundwater treatment work.
Publications
2026
Comadran-Casas, Carla 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0728-4395, Cholet, Fabien, Ogundero, Ayo, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Smith, Cindy J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730, Sloan, William T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384, Bass, Adrian M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-6582, MacDonald, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8609-804X, Unluer, Cise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-5993 and Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031
(2026)
Sporosarcina pasteurii urease gene expression regulation mechanism overcomes urease inhibition by hydrocarbons.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 511,
142148.
(doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142148)
(PMID:42085786)
Robbie, Jill ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5376-8908 and Poursat, Baptiste
(2026)
Introduction.
Water International,
(Accepted for Publication)
2024
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Rempe, Fleur, Pereira, João, Sutton, Nora B. and Ter Heijne, Annemiek (2024) Unravelling the mechanisms of organic micropollutant removal in bio-electrochemical systems: Insights into sorption, electrochemical degradation, and biodegradation processes. Science of the Total Environment, 945, 173932. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173932) (PMID:38880133)
Shi, X. et al. (2024) Microbial stratification and DOM removal in drinking water biofilters: implications for enhanced performance. Water Research, 262, 122053. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122053)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Langenhoff, Alette A.M., Feng, Jiahao, Goense, Julianne, Peters, Ruud J.B. and Sutton, Nora B. (2024) Effect of ultra-high-density polyethylene microplastic on the sorption and biodegradation of organic micropollutants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 279, 116510. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116510) (PMID:38810284)
2023
Sperling, J. R. et al. (2023) A cross-reactive plasmonic sensing array for drinking water assessment. Environmental Science: Nano, 10(12), pp. 3500-3508. (doi: 10.1039/D3EN00565H) (PMID:38073859)
Wang, Jinsong, de Ridder, David, Sutton, Nora B., Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Saha, Pradip and van der Wal, Albert (2023) The abiotic removal of organic micropollutants with iron and manganese oxides in rapid sand filters for groundwater treatment. Water Research, 241, 120146. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120146) (PMID:37270951)
Sperling, J. R. et al. (2023) Optical Tastebuds for Water Analysis. In: Applied Industrial Spectroscopy 2023, Munich, Germany, 30 Jul - 03 Aug 2023, ISBN 9781957171241 (doi: 10.1364/AIS.2023.AM2A.6)
2022
Aldas-Vargas, Andrea, Poursat, Baptiste A.J. and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Potential and limitations for monitoring of pesticide biodegradation at trace concentrations in water and soil. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 38(12), 240. (doi: 10.1007/s11274-022-03426-x) (PMID:36261779) (PMCID:PMC9581840)
Wang, Jinsong, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Feng, Jiahao, de Ridder, David, Zhang, Chen, van der Wal, Albert and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Exploring organic micropollutant biodegradation under dynamic substrate loading in rapid sand filters. Water Research, 221, 118832. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118832) (PMID:35949068)
Wang, Jinsong, Zhang, Chen, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., de Ridder, David, Smidt, Hauke, van der Wal, Albert and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Unravelling the contribution of nitrifying and methanotrophic bacteria to micropollutant co-metabolism in rapid sand filters. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 424, 127760. (doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127760) (PMID:34836694)
2021
Dalmijn, Joost A., Poursat, Baptiste J.A., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Brandt, Bernd W., de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2021) Influence of short- and long-term exposure on the biodegradation capacity of activated sludge microbial communities in ready biodegradability tests. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, 7(1), pp. 107-121. (doi: 10.1039/D0EW00776E)
2020
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Braster, Martin, Helmus, Rick, de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2020) Long-term exposure of activated sludge in chemostats leads to changes in microbial communities composition and enhanced biodegradation of 4-chloroaniline and N-methylpiperazine. Chemosphere, 242, 125102. (doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125102) (PMID:31669985)
2019
Poursat, Baptiste J.A., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Braster, Martin, Helmus, Rick, de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2019) Biodegradation of metformin and its transformation product, guanylurea, by natural and exposed microbial communities. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 182, 109414. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109414) (PMID:31301597)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., van Spanning, Rob J.M., de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2019) Implications of microbial adaptation for the assessment of environmental persistence of chemicals. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 49(23), pp. 2220-2255. (doi: 10.1080/10643389.2019.1607687)
Articles
Comadran-Casas, Carla ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0728-4395, Cholet, Fabien, Ogundero, Ayo, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Smith, Cindy J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0730, Sloan, William T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9450-7384, Bass, Adrian M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-6582, MacDonald, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8609-804X, Unluer, Cise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-5993 and Gauchotte-Lindsay, Caroline ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5031
(2026)
Sporosarcina pasteurii urease gene expression regulation mechanism overcomes urease inhibition by hydrocarbons.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 511,
142148.
(doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142148)
(PMID:42085786)
Robbie, Jill ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5376-8908 and Poursat, Baptiste
(2026)
Introduction.
Water International,
(Accepted for Publication)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Rempe, Fleur, Pereira, João, Sutton, Nora B. and Ter Heijne, Annemiek (2024) Unravelling the mechanisms of organic micropollutant removal in bio-electrochemical systems: Insights into sorption, electrochemical degradation, and biodegradation processes. Science of the Total Environment, 945, 173932. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173932) (PMID:38880133)
Shi, X. et al. (2024) Microbial stratification and DOM removal in drinking water biofilters: implications for enhanced performance. Water Research, 262, 122053. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122053)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Langenhoff, Alette A.M., Feng, Jiahao, Goense, Julianne, Peters, Ruud J.B. and Sutton, Nora B. (2024) Effect of ultra-high-density polyethylene microplastic on the sorption and biodegradation of organic micropollutants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 279, 116510. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116510) (PMID:38810284)
Sperling, J. R. et al. (2023) A cross-reactive plasmonic sensing array for drinking water assessment. Environmental Science: Nano, 10(12), pp. 3500-3508. (doi: 10.1039/D3EN00565H) (PMID:38073859)
Wang, Jinsong, de Ridder, David, Sutton, Nora B., Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Saha, Pradip and van der Wal, Albert (2023) The abiotic removal of organic micropollutants with iron and manganese oxides in rapid sand filters for groundwater treatment. Water Research, 241, 120146. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120146) (PMID:37270951)
Aldas-Vargas, Andrea, Poursat, Baptiste A.J. and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Potential and limitations for monitoring of pesticide biodegradation at trace concentrations in water and soil. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 38(12), 240. (doi: 10.1007/s11274-022-03426-x) (PMID:36261779) (PMCID:PMC9581840)
Wang, Jinsong, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., Feng, Jiahao, de Ridder, David, Zhang, Chen, van der Wal, Albert and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Exploring organic micropollutant biodegradation under dynamic substrate loading in rapid sand filters. Water Research, 221, 118832. (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118832) (PMID:35949068)
Wang, Jinsong, Zhang, Chen, Poursat, Baptiste A.J., de Ridder, David, Smidt, Hauke, van der Wal, Albert and Sutton, Nora B. (2022) Unravelling the contribution of nitrifying and methanotrophic bacteria to micropollutant co-metabolism in rapid sand filters. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 424, 127760. (doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127760) (PMID:34836694)
Dalmijn, Joost A., Poursat, Baptiste J.A., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Brandt, Bernd W., de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2021) Influence of short- and long-term exposure on the biodegradation capacity of activated sludge microbial communities in ready biodegradability tests. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, 7(1), pp. 107-121. (doi: 10.1039/D0EW00776E)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Braster, Martin, Helmus, Rick, de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2020) Long-term exposure of activated sludge in chemostats leads to changes in microbial communities composition and enhanced biodegradation of 4-chloroaniline and N-methylpiperazine. Chemosphere, 242, 125102. (doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125102) (PMID:31669985)
Poursat, Baptiste J.A., van Spanning, Rob J.M., Braster, Martin, Helmus, Rick, de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2019) Biodegradation of metformin and its transformation product, guanylurea, by natural and exposed microbial communities. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 182, 109414. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109414) (PMID:31301597)
Poursat, Baptiste A.J., van Spanning, Rob J.M., de Voogt, Pim and Parsons, John R. (2019) Implications of microbial adaptation for the assessment of environmental persistence of chemicals. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 49(23), pp. 2220-2255. (doi: 10.1080/10643389.2019.1607687)
Conference Proceedings
Sperling, J. R. et al. (2023) Optical Tastebuds for Water Analysis. In: Applied Industrial Spectroscopy 2023, Munich, Germany, 30 Jul - 03 Aug 2023, ISBN 9781957171241 (doi: 10.1364/AIS.2023.AM2A.6)
