Professional summary
Brief CV
I am a Principal research scientist at UKCEH specialising in soil science and monitoring. I am responsible for UKCEH soil observatories and elements of national soil monitoring in the UK. In addition, my research interests focus on soil physics including soil hydrology, structure and erosion. Moreover, I investigate soil physical function and its interplay with biology, within the wider context of soil monitoring and ecosystem service assessment in response to climate and land use change drivers.
My team runs rigorous research using the latest modelling and measurement approaches including advanced sensors, smartphone technology and genomics for biological assessment. I have served the community in a number of roles including as a co-lead author for the 2015 United Nations Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, first World Soil Resources Report. Most recently, I served on the foresight panel for the EU Mission Board on Soil Health and Food.
Recent appointments
10/2009 – Present Soil Scientist - UKCEH
11/2017 – Research Leader - UKCEH
01/2017 – Present Adjunct Professor - Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Recent research funding and project management
AI4Soil Health
UKCEH Countryside Survey soil and vegetation national research platform
EU Fabulous Farmers
ERAMMP soils national monitoring
NERC STARS Doctoral training program Soil Science, Project Management Board
Qualifications
PhD Soil Physics, 1999: Soil water content estimates based on the measurement of soil relative permittivity: Use of capacitance, time domain reflectometry and impedance sensors, Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon, and Univ. of Ulster, UK.
BSc Soils and the Environment with Sedimentary Geology, 1994: 2:1 (Honours) Reading University, UK.
Cert Higher Ed equ. Combination of maths and physics courses, Open University 2020 ongoing
PhD Soil Physics, 1999: Soil water content estimates based on the measurement of soil relative permittivity: Use of capacitance, time domain reflectometry and impedance sensors, Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon, and Univ. of Ulster, UK.
BSc Soils and the Environment with Sedimentary Geology, 1994: 2:1 (Honours) Reading University, UK.
Cert Higher Ed equ. Combination of maths and physics courses, Open University 2020 ongoing
Panels, committees and memberships
Soil Science Society of America (Fellow)
British Soil Science Society (Fellow)
EUSO working group on soil erosion
SOLO EU Think Tank soil degradation
Member U.N. Universities Sustainability Nexus Analytics, Informatics, and Data (AID) Program.
Soil Science Society of America (Fellow)
British Soil Science Society (Fellow)
EUSO working group on soil erosion
SOLO EU Think Tank soil degradation
Member U.N. Universities Sustainability Nexus Analytics, Informatics, and Data (AID) Program.
Web tools and apps
UK Soil Observatory: www.ukso.org
UKCEH Countryside Survey Soil Health Webtool SOil funDamentals (SOD): https://connect-apps.ceh.ac.uk/soilhealth/
UK Soil Observatory: www.ukso.org
UKCEH Countryside Survey Soil Health Webtool SOil funDamentals (SOD): https://connect-apps.ceh.ac.uk/soilhealth/
Awards
2018 Soil Science Society of America Don and Betty Kirkahm Award for Soil Physics
2014 Excellence with Impact award for the UK Soil Observatory, Association for Geographic Information
2018 Soil Science Society of America Don and Betty Kirkahm Award for Soil Physics
2014 Excellence with Impact award for the UK Soil Observatory, Association for Geographic Information