Mira Cooper

Dr Mira Cooper

Research Associate

School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

College of Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

My research focuses on environmental health, with a particular emphasis on water quality. I currently lead an NHMRC-funded Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) project investigating the quality of domestic rainwater, and I am also involved in several other water quality studies.
Prior to my appointment at the University of Adelaide (formerly at the University of South Australia), I worked with the Victorian Department of Health on the Victorian wastewater surveillance program for SARS-CoV-2, which formed part of the national Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 (ColoSSoS). My role involved epidemiological analysis of wastewater data from Melbourne and across Victoria, providing intelligence on COVID-19 prevalence, variants, and associated public health risks to support state-level decision-making.
I have a background in environmental health and completed my PhD at Flinders University, where I studied human zoonotic parasites and advocated for One Health and environmental health approaches to their control.

Language Competency
Kazakh Can read, write, speak and understand spoken
Russian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
Flinders University Australia PhD
Flinders University Australia Masters in Environmental Health
Flinders University Australia Bachelor in Environmental Health

Year Citation
2026 Cooper-Beknazarova, M., van den Akker, B., Drigo, B., Ross, K., Whiley, H., & Williams, C. R. (2026). Systematic review of wild birds as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance: Implications for roof-harvested rainwater safety. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 273, 114743-1-114743-13.
DOI
2026 Keenum, I., Berendonk, T. U., Bonnedahl, J., Cytryn, E., Dagot, C., Karkman, A., . . . Adeoye, I. A. (2026). Towards One Health action for addressing antimicrobial resistance in the age of polycrisis. Nature Sustainability, 9(1), 24-34.
DOI
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 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 Scopus11 WoS10
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 Scopus1 WoS1
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 Scopus19 WoS18 Europe PMC15
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 Scopus48 WoS44 Europe PMC40
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 Scopus25 WoS19 Europe PMC20
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 Scopus10 Europe PMC9
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 Scopus19 WoS16 Europe PMC16
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 Scopus17 WoS12 Europe PMC12
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 Scopus97 WoS90 Europe PMC83

Year Citation
2019 Beknazarova, M., Barratt, J. L. N., Bradbury, R. S., Lane, M., Whiley, H., & Ross, K. (2019). Detection of classic and cryptic
<i>Strongyloides</i>
genotypes by deep amplicon sequencing: A preliminary survey of dog and human specimens collected from remote Australian communities.
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

Courses I teach

  • BIOL 3027 Global Change and Human Health (2025)
  • ENVT 1013 Environment, Society and Climate (2025)
  • ENVT 1013 Environment, Society and Climate (2024)
  • ENVT 2014 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (2024)
  • ENVT 2015 Microbial Ecology (2024)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2023 Co-Supervisor 110483 - Citizen science mosquito surveillance: invasive species, data mining, and virus detection Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Shashikala Wijesooriya

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