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Dr Numair Masud
(he/him)
Teams and roles for Numair Masud
Research Associate
School of Biosciences
Overview
I am passionate about understanding how pollutants-particularly plastics and their associated additives-affect aquatic ecosystems, with a strong focus on freshwater habitats. Since completing my PhD, I have employed interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how a wide range of anthropogenic stressors, including plastic pollution, eutrophication, aquaculture interventions, and infectious diseases, influence aquatic organism welfare.
Key research interests:
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Impacts of multiple interacting stressors on freshwater organisms’ behaviour, physiology, and disease resistance
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Toxicological assessment of plastics and their associated additives
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Determining whether plastic alternatives and material substitutes are environmentally safer than conventional plastics
Publication
2025
- Cheung, S. J. et al. 2025. Assessing the chemical interactions and biological effects of a petrochemical and bio-based plastic with a common plastic flame retardant and solvent. Science of the Total Environment 958 177958. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177958)
- Khan, S. et al. 2025. Epidemiological and genotypic assessment of cystic echinococcosis in ruminant populations of Northern Punjab, Pakistan: a neglected zoonotic disease. Parasitology Research 124 7. (10.1007/s00436-025-08451-x)
- Masud, N. , Cosgrove, C. and Cable, J. 2025. Benchmarking the sub-lethal chronic aquatic toxicity of an emerging biosurfactant (Sophorolipid) to a traditional amine oxide surfactant in a freshwater fish-pathogen system. Ecotoxicology 34 , pp.1144-1148. (10.1007/s10646-025-02887-8)
- Masud, N. et al. 2025. Assessing the solubility, chemical stability and ecotoxicology of an emerging non-halogenated flame retardant, melamine cyanurate, against a prevalent halogenated congener, tetrabromophthalic anhydride. Aquatic Toxicology 287 107537. (10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107537)
2024
- James, J. et al., 2024. Using eDNA to detect freshwater invasive non-native species under controlled conditions. Management of Biological Invasions 15 (1), pp.41-50. (10.3391/mbi.2024.15.1.03)
- MacAulay, S. , Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2024. Analysis of bamboo fibres and their associated dye on a freshwater fish host-parasite system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31 (38), pp.51025-51036. (10.1007/s11356-024-34626-7)
- Masud, N. et al. 2024. Infectivity of an emerging fish parasite Gyrodactylus sprostonae in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio). Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries 4 (3) e170. (10.1002/aff2.170)
- Robison-Smith, C. et al. 2024. A class of their own? Water-soluble polymer pollution impacting a freshwater host-pathogen system. Science of the Total Environment 907 168086. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168086)
2023
- MacAulay, S. et al. 2023. The impacts of synthetic and cellulose-based fibres and their associated dyes on fish hosts and parasite health. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (10.1007/s11356-023-30794-0)
- Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2023. Microplastic exposure and consumption increases susceptibility to gyrodactylosis and host mortality for a freshwater fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 153 , pp.81-85. (10.3354/dao03721)
2022
- Masud, N. et al. 2022. Differential effects of two prevalent environmental pollutants on host-pathogen dynamics. Chemosphere 295 133879. (10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133879)
2020
- Jackson, J. A. et al., 2020. Partitioning the environmental drivers of immunocompetence. Science of the Total Environment 747 141152. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141152)
- Masud, N. 2020. A fishy tale: the impact of multiple stressors on host behaviour, physiology, and susceptibility to infectious disease. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
- Masud, N. et al. 2020. Cost of a deprived environment - increased intraspecific aggression and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Journal of Experimental Biology 223 (20) jeb229450. (10.1242/jeb.229450)
- Masud, N. et al. 2020. Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival. Royal Society Open Science 7 (9) 200172. (10.1098/rsos.200172)
2019
- Masud, N. , Ellison, A. and Cable, J. 2019. A neglected fish stressor: mechanical disturbance during transportation impacts susceptibility to disease in a globally important ornamental fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 134 (1), pp.25-32. (10.3354/dao03362)
- Masud, N. et al. 2019. Not going with the flow: locomotor activity does not constrain immunity in a wild fish. Ecology and Evolution 9 (21), pp.12089-12098. (10.1002/ece3.5658)
Articles
- Cheung, S. J. et al. 2025. Assessing the chemical interactions and biological effects of a petrochemical and bio-based plastic with a common plastic flame retardant and solvent. Science of the Total Environment 958 177958. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177958)
- Jackson, J. A. et al., 2020. Partitioning the environmental drivers of immunocompetence. Science of the Total Environment 747 141152. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141152)
- James, J. et al., 2024. Using eDNA to detect freshwater invasive non-native species under controlled conditions. Management of Biological Invasions 15 (1), pp.41-50. (10.3391/mbi.2024.15.1.03)
- Khan, S. et al. 2025. Epidemiological and genotypic assessment of cystic echinococcosis in ruminant populations of Northern Punjab, Pakistan: a neglected zoonotic disease. Parasitology Research 124 7. (10.1007/s00436-025-08451-x)
- MacAulay, S. , Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2024. Analysis of bamboo fibres and their associated dye on a freshwater fish host-parasite system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31 (38), pp.51025-51036. (10.1007/s11356-024-34626-7)
- MacAulay, S. et al. 2023. The impacts of synthetic and cellulose-based fibres and their associated dyes on fish hosts and parasite health. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (10.1007/s11356-023-30794-0)
- Masud, N. , Cosgrove, C. and Cable, J. 2025. Benchmarking the sub-lethal chronic aquatic toxicity of an emerging biosurfactant (Sophorolipid) to a traditional amine oxide surfactant in a freshwater fish-pathogen system. Ecotoxicology 34 , pp.1144-1148. (10.1007/s10646-025-02887-8)
- Masud, N. , Ellison, A. and Cable, J. 2019. A neglected fish stressor: mechanical disturbance during transportation impacts susceptibility to disease in a globally important ornamental fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 134 (1), pp.25-32. (10.3354/dao03362)
- Masud, N. et al. 2025. Assessing the solubility, chemical stability and ecotoxicology of an emerging non-halogenated flame retardant, melamine cyanurate, against a prevalent halogenated congener, tetrabromophthalic anhydride. Aquatic Toxicology 287 107537. (10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107537)
- Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2023. Microplastic exposure and consumption increases susceptibility to gyrodactylosis and host mortality for a freshwater fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 153 , pp.81-85. (10.3354/dao03721)
- Masud, N. et al. 2022. Differential effects of two prevalent environmental pollutants on host-pathogen dynamics. Chemosphere 295 133879. (10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133879)
- Masud, N. et al. 2020. Cost of a deprived environment - increased intraspecific aggression and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Journal of Experimental Biology 223 (20) jeb229450. (10.1242/jeb.229450)
- Masud, N. et al. 2020. Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival. Royal Society Open Science 7 (9) 200172. (10.1098/rsos.200172)
- Masud, N. et al. 2019. Not going with the flow: locomotor activity does not constrain immunity in a wild fish. Ecology and Evolution 9 (21), pp.12089-12098. (10.1002/ece3.5658)
- Masud, N. et al. 2024. Infectivity of an emerging fish parasite Gyrodactylus sprostonae in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio). Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries 4 (3) e170. (10.1002/aff2.170)
- Robison-Smith, C. et al. 2024. A class of their own? Water-soluble polymer pollution impacting a freshwater host-pathogen system. Science of the Total Environment 907 168086. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168086)
Thesis
- Masud, N. 2020. A fishy tale: the impact of multiple stressors on host behaviour, physiology, and susceptibility to infectious disease. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
Latest Research Project
Plastic fish: assessing the scale, chemical properties, and biological effects of petrochemical plastics and plastic substitutes and material alternatives on freshwater fish
This project has two broad aims: use cutting edge polymer analysis to investigate the scale, and biochemical properties of plastic polymers within aquaculture and investigate the impacts of a subset of these common plastics and associated chemical additives on fish health. Specific objectives:
1) Plastic survey: identify and quantity plastic contamination in UK freshwater aquaculture facilities.
2) Petrochemical plastics: determine the chemical adsorption and desorption capacity of microplastics in relation to plasticisers, thermal stabilisers, and aquatic toxins as well as understanding their impacts on aquaculture fish growth, metabolism, disease resistance and underlying molecular mechanisms.
3) Biobased plastics: determine the degradability, adsorption, and desorption capacity of biobased plastics (i.e., bioplastics) compared with petrochemical plastics within aquatic environments and their biological impacts on fish health.
Broad Research Themes
Aquaculture: with our industry partner Adisseo-Nutriad, I have investigated how fortified feeds impact disease resistance in fish. In developing and testing fortified feeds, aquaculture is addressing preventative and control strategies that replaces the traditional approach of chemical treatments.
Ornamental trade: my research has focussed on how various stressors including, transport stress, enrichment deprivation and noise pollution impact fish physiology, behaviour, and disease resistance. With fish being the most populous pets in western households, such primary research offers insights into how neglected stressors might be impacting fish welfare. Techniques used include behavioural analysis, respirometry and experimental parasitology.
Ecosystems: using an interdisciplinary approach, I investigate how various ecosystem pollutants such as microplastics and herbicides impact freshwater fish welfare. Here, I have drawn on various techniques including NMR spectroscopy, transcriptomic analysis, and experimental parasitology.
Line manager
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Freshwater ecology
- Fish pests and diseases
- Polymers and plastics
