Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

environmental chemistry; land contamination; brownfield; sustainable urban drainage

20072024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Area of academic expertise - outline

I am a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) with a background in environmental policy and regulation.  Prior to transitioning into academia in 2015, I spent eight years working across third sector organisations (in collaboration with national and local governments), as well as environmental regulatory bodies.  My work focused on key environmental issues including air quality, land contamination, and noise pollution.

My primary research interest lies in the impacts of environmental pollution, with a particular focus on air pollution and soil contamination.  I employ a range of advanced analytical techniques in my research, including ICP-AES, ICP-MS, Graphite Furnace-AAS, Flame-AAS, HPLC, and LC-MS.

Recent research projects I have contributed to include:

  • Investigating the relationship between air pollution and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  • Carbon management within the public sector.
  • Exploring waste management practices in the food industry.
  • Assessing historical pollution in sediment samples.
  • Studying metal toxicity in aquatic organisms.
  • Lean implementation in the petroleum industry.
  • Evaluating odour emissions from wastewater treatment facilities.
  • Developing treatment methods for manganese contamination in water systems.

In addition to my research, I regularly serve as a peer reviewer for academic journals and have acted as an external examiner for PhD vivas.

My learning and teaching experience includes serving as currently serve as Programme Leader (MSc Waste and Resource Management), and Module Co-ordinator at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  My current role as Associate Dean: Learning & Teaching involves strategic priorities including Aspire (the signature UWS pedagogy), Student-Staff Liaison Groups, National Student Survey (NSS), and other aspects of learning, teaching and student success.

Beyond my academic duties, I have been an elected member of the University Court, contributing to institutional governance. I served as the School’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Champion and am a member of the University’s Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team.  I am also Trustee to Environmental Protection Scotland and the Institution of Environmental Sciences, and have been Trustee to another third-sector organisation.

My skills include:

  • Strategic leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Learning & Teaching
  • Governance
  • Mentoring
  • Lateral thinking

 

 

Current research activities

My research activities align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include:

  • carbon management and environmental impact in the food processing sector
  • emerging pollutants within waste electrical and electronic equipment
  • Industry 5.0
  • anti-microbial resistance in brownfield / vacant land
  • links between air pollution and COPD in semi-urban environments
  • carbon emissions within the public sector,
  • waste to product recycling and re-use
  •  

Desired research direction

I would be interested in developing a greater understanding of the environmental impacts climate change will have on waste management.  This will include increased sea-level rises and erosion of landfill sites, extreme weather patterns and landfill infiltration and leachate run-off.

Target collaborative organisations

Private sector companies interested in contamination, landfill and waste management, airquality, and ecosystem services approaches.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land

External positions

Trustee, Institution of Environmental Sciences

Apr 2024 → …

Approved Trainer, Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA)

Nov 2020 → …

Topic Editor, Sustainability, MDPI Open Access Journals

Nov 2020 → …

Trustee, Ayr Amateur Opera Company

1 Aug 202031 May 2005

External Examiner, SRUC - Scotland’s Rural College

1 Oct 2019 → …

Trustee, Environmental Protection Scotland

1 Aug 2015 → …

Keywords

  • QD Chemistry
  • Analytical
  • ICP
  • Environmental
  • Soil
  • Persistent Organic Pollutants
  • Potentially Toxic Elements
  • air pollution
  • Waste Management
  • WEEE
  • QE Geology
  • SD Forestry

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