Assessment of the Fate of Surrogates for Enteric Pathogens Resulting from the Surcharging of Combined Sewer Systems

Abstract

καὶ ἐὰν εἰδῶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδέν εἰμι To my parents vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe completion of this thesis has been an exciting and wonderful journey that I travelled together with many people to whom I am extremely grateful. The gradual deepening into mechanisms taking place in nature, for the benefit of society and the environment, is perhaps the most rewarding experience for the time, resources and energy invested.First of all, my research and this PhD thesis would not be possible without the valuable Scholarship from the Academy of Athens from the Vasiliki Bekiari-Vekri Bequest and a Research Grant from the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to deepen my knowledge and to strengthen my commitment in finding practical solutions for a sustainable future. I would like to thank my promotor, Professor Dr. Damir Brdjanovic for giving me the opportunity to do a PhD and for his overall supervision, guidance and support since the first day I arrived in Delft. I am very thankful for his important expertise and contribution in formulating this very interesting topic and during all the stages towards the completion of my thesis. Thank you very much! Second, I would like to thank my mentor Dr. Carlos Lopez Vazquez for his day to day supervision, guidance and countless hours of meetings. Carlos, you know in detail all the stages of my PhD research, all the challenges I met, how I managed to overcome them and how I have changed. Thank you for everything! I would like to equally thank Dr. Jack van de Vossenberg for mentoring me in the second half of my PhD. Thank you, Jack, for your invaluable ideas and support! In difficult times you helped me see things in a positive way and you helped me believe in my skills. I would also like to thank Dr. Michael Hammond, who mentored me in the first half of my research. Thank you for your support, your ideas and your encouragement. Sabita, my amazing MSc student, I would like to add you in this list just after my mentors, because although you were my student I learned a lot from you. Your contribution in the research, your self-motivation, your willingness to learn and your smile even in times of desperation motivated me too and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with you.I would like to thank Prof. Maria Kennedy for her important input as member of my proposal defence committee and all the reviewers of my PhD proposal, my papers and my thesis.