Michael Gormley

Michael Gormley is Professor of Public Health and Environmental Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh in Scotland. He is a Chartered engineer with over 40 years' experience in both practise and academia. Since Joining Heriot-Watt University in 2000 he has worked on areas of engineering design and modelling of water and sanitation systems globally.

With an extensive track record of attracting research grants from Government research organisations and industry in the areas of sustainability and improving public health for all people. Gormley's work is close to policy, and he has been an advisor to the UK Government on the transmission and mitigation of COVID-19 through participation in the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to research in Fluid Mechanics and sanitation provision he is also an expert on the transmission and fate of aerosolised pathogens found in airflows, particularly in Building Sanitary Plumbing Systems. His most recent work has focussed on the transmission of pathogens from contaminated water trap seals in wash-hand basins in healthcare buildings and the linkages between that transmission pathway, wastewater fluid dynamics and the spread of AMR organisms.

He is a named inventor on four international patents in the field of public health engineering. In addition to being a full professor at Heriot-Watt University, Gormley also advises the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) for NHS England on the design of water and wastewater systems in new hospitals throughout England. The programme is set to deliver up to 40 new hospitals in the coming years.