Mira Cooper

Dr Mira Cooper

Research Associate

School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

College of Science

I am a Research Associate in the UniSA STEM. My research is focused on environmental health issues and I am currently working with the NHMRC-funded Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) network.
Prior to the position at UniSA, I worked with the Victorian Department of Health in Victorian wastewater surveillance program for SARS-CoV-2, which is a part of a national Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 (ColoSSoS) project. My main role was to undertake an epidemiological analysis of wastewater in Melbourne and across Victoria, providing intelligence on Covid-19 levels and its variants and associated public health risks to help the Department and the State with decision-making.  
My background is in environmental health and I completed a PhD at Flinders University studying human zoonotic parasites and advocating for One Health and environmental health approach to control them. 

Year Citation
2025 Cooper Beknazarova, M., van den Akker, B., & Ashbolt, N. J. (2025). Free-living protozoa as important drivers of antimicrobial resistance in engineered water systems and their ecological niches. ACS ES&T Water, online(9), 4985-4996.
DOI
2021 Cooper Beknazarova, M., White, M., Whiley, H., Gray, D. J., Mutombo, P. N., Bradbury, R., . . . Ross, K. E. (2021). Strongyloidiasis does not discriminate: nor should the screening and treatment. Internal Medicine Journal, 51(12), 2160-2161.
DOI WoS1
2021 Moser, B., Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., Keerthirathne, T. P., Harrington, N., DeGaris, K., & Wallis, I. (2021). Investigation into the cause of iron-related clogging of groundwater bores used for viticulture in the Limestone Coast, South Australia. Water (Switzerland), 13(5, article no. 683), 1-14.
DOI
2020 Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., Traub, R., & Ross, K. (2020). Opportunistic mapping of strongyloides stercoralis and hookworm in dogs in remote Australian communities. Pathogens, 9(5, article no. 398), 1-14.
DOI
2019 Beknazarova, M., Barratt, J. L. N., Bradbury, R. S., Lane, M., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2019). Detection of classic and cryptic Strongyloides genotypes by deep amplicon sequencing: a preliminary survey of dog and human specimens collected from remote Australian communities. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13(8, article no. 0007241), 1-18.
DOI Europe PMC39
2018 Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., Judd, J. A., Shield, J., Page, W., Miller, A., . . . Ross, K. (2018). Argument for inclusion of strongyloidiasis in the Australian national notifiable disease list. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 3(2, article no. 61), 1-11.
DOI
2017 Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2017). Mass drug administration for the prevention human strongyloidiasis should consider concomitant treatment of dogs. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(8, article no. e0005735), 1-4.
DOI
2017 Beknazarova, M., Millsteed, S., Robertson, G., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2017). Validation of DESS as a DNA preservation method for the detection of strongyloides spp. In canine feces. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(6, article no. 624), 1-7.
DOI
2016 Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2016). Advocating for both environmental and clinical approaches to control human strongyloidiasis. Pathogens, 5(4, article no. 59), 1-10.
DOI
2016 Beknazarova, M., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2016). Strongyloidiasis: a disease of socioeconomic disadvantage. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(5, article no. 517), 1-15.
DOI

  • How safe is roof-harvested rainwater? An investigation of pathogenic and resistant bacteria, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), 06/06/2025 - 30/06/2026

  • Enhancing Nutrient Removal and Increasing Plant Capacity through Aerobic Granular Sludge, Local Government Association of South Australia, 19/06/2025 - 31/05/2026

  • The health of tank-stored rainwater in South Australian houses, Royal Society of South Australia - Small Research Grant, 23/09/2024 - 23/09/2025

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