In the 21st century, humans live in high-density contexts and spend a very high proportion of time inside buildings. However, the microbial communities with which these spaces are shared have been little studied. Indoor environmental quality has so far focused more on physical and chemical pollutants, such as temperature, humidity, and odours. 

Scientific Reports, a journal in the Nature Research family, is proud to welcome original primary research articles for our upcoming “Microbes in the built environment” Collection.

This Collection will provide a home for emerging research into the microbial inhabitants in built environment surfaces and in air and water systems. Submissions are welcome on all aspects of microbial life that occurs in built environment and infrastructure, including buildings, transport vehicles, water treatment facilities and building services. 

Submissions for this Collection will be open through the end of September 2019. More information about this Collection and how to submit a manuscript can be found here. 

The Collection is Guest Edited by Professor Lena Ciric, UCL, UK. She is a molecular microbial ecologist with an interest in the microbial communities that reside in buildings and how these can be manipulated with engineering solutions. Lena Ciric has been an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports since 2018.