Jessica Kevill is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Virology, at the School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University. Jessica gained her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Salford, Manchester in 2018. Her research focused on the role of resistance to Deformed wing virus (DWV) in European honey bees. During her Ph.D., Jessica designed molecular methods for viral detection and applied these to establish a connection between DWV and honey bee winter survivorship in the UK and USA. After her Ph.D., Jessica completed a two-year postdoctoral research position at the University of Minnesota, USA. Here, Jessica developed methods for the detection of viruses infecting honey bees and pigs, using state-of-the-art technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing. 

At the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Jessica joined Bangor University as a Postdoctoral researcher in the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance lab. During this time, Jessica has focused her research on method development for the concentration and recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and other human-derived viruses from wastewater samples. In addition, Jessica has developed molecular techniques for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and other human-derived viruses in wastewater, using NGS and various PCR platforms (qPCR and digital droplet PCR). 

Jessica’s role in the Blue Adapt project is to provide aspects of virology and research the effects a changing climate can have on human-derived viruses found in coastal and estuarine environments, as part of WP3. This data will be used to develop the computer models needed to predict the risk viruses pose to human health in coastal and estuarine waters, in a changing climate, as part of WP4.