As a Senior Lecturer in Soil and Water Managementand a Chartered Water Environmental Manager, I have a wide range of research interests ranging across environmental chemistry, physics and engineering. My primary degree was in Environmental Science at NUI, Galway (2006), with my MSc in Environmental Engineering at Queen's University Belfast (2010) a couple of years after some experience in industry. My PhD research in Geography at the University of Dublin, Trinity College (2015), determined the application of high temporal resolution data in the management of eutrophic water bodies in agricultural catchments. I studied the flow and concentration data of two river catchments with varying drainage capacity and identified the drivers for the eutrophication observed both in-stream and in a lake as an end receptor. Therefore I have great experience in the management and maintenance of high frequency sensors such as HACH datasondes and HACH-Lange Phosphax machines as well as modelling in R and other software packages.
My research at Harper Adams University is primarily in the application of organic amendments to soils and the impact on soil structure and water movement dynamics - as well as the resulting water quality. I'm also very interested in catchments with high sediment movement and I'm looking to expand my knowledge in this area.
My teaching responsibilities range across all levels where I introduce students to general environmental science concepts and at higher levels thoroughly discuss the impact of nutrient cycling systems on soil and water quality. I also deliver a portion of the modules on the new BSc Geography and Environmental Management course. At postgraduate level, I co-supervise one PhD student who is investigating the optimisation of feedstock on anaerobically digested sludge for land application and I teach on a module concerning nutrient cycling and soil and water management. I also provide ad hoc support in environmental modelling and Life Cycle Assessment.
