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Research Students

MUhammAd afzal

Research topic: Vulnerability of the urban water supply relative to future changes in climate variability in the United Kingdom.

Supervision: Dr Alexandre Gagnon, Dr Martin Mansell

Professional membership: The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

Mini CV:
Education:
B.Sc. (Chemistry, Botany & Zoology), University of the Punjab, Pakistan (1998)
M.Sc. (Botany) The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan (2001)
M.Sc. (Energy & Environmental Management) Glasgow Caledonian University (2006)

My research project focuses on the increasing variability of our climate and its effect on the vulnerability of our water supplies. It aims to improve our understanding of the consequences of climate change on the urban water supply. This will be accomplished by examining historical records for trends in rainfall variability and by using the new UKCP09 climate change scenarios along with a hydrological model to determine how future changes in climate variability are likely to affect the future water supply of a number of case study regions across the UK with contrasting amounts of water storage.

The main questions to be addressed in the projects are:
1. The extent of changes in climate variability in historical records;
2. The impacts of future changes in climate variability on the water supply of different regions with contrasting amounts of water storage;
3. Discussing the mitigation measures that could be introduced to improve urban water catchments in relation to future climate change.

 

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DORN CARRAN

PhD Student

Research topic: Understanding traditional masonry mortars to improve the compatibility of mortar repair

Supervision: Dr. John Hughes, Dr. Alick Leslie (British Geological Survey), Dr. Craig Kennedy (Historic Scotland)

Mini CV:
Education & Experience:

Bsc Archaeology - Cardiff University - 2002 - 2005

Ma Archaeology - Cardiff University - 2005 - 2006

Archaeological Illustrator - Saqqarah, Egypt - 2006

Archaeological Assistane - National Museums of Liverpool, 2007 -2008

Publications:

Brilliant Things for Akhenaten: The Production of Glass, Vitreous Materials and Pottery at the Amarna Site 045.1, by Paul T. Nicholson, Elina Brook (Illustrator), Dorn Carran (Illustrator), Egypt Exploration society, Excavation Memoirs Series, ISBN: 0856981788

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Yve christie

PhD Student

Research topic: Aesthetic, Structural & Ecological Properties of Industrial By-products.

Supervision: Prof. Peter Tucker, Prof. Andrew Hursthouse

Mini CV:
Education: BA (Hons.) Design, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow 1998: MPhil. Art & Design in Organisational Contexts, Glasgow School of Art 2000: TQFE, Aberdeen University, 2005

Part-time Lecturer - Expressive Activity /Environmental Art, Reid Kerr College

Visual Artist: www.yventstudio.com

 

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IAIN McLELLAN

PhD Student

Research topic: Preventative and remediation strategies for the continuous elimination of polychlorinated phenols from forest soils and ground waters.

Supervision: Prof Andrew Hursthouse, Dr Calum Morrison, Dr Paul Tatner

Mini CV:
Education: BSc (Hons) Earth Sciences with Chemistry, University of Paisley, 2001 - 2005

The focus of my research is to produce a chemical fingerprint analysis of chlorophenols within soils, sediments and waters.  Using LC-MS to analyse field and bulk soils, a greater understanding of the long-term impacts can be gained and will contribute to the larger, collaborative NATO Science for Peace project.

I am currently also working as policy officer for Environmental Protection UK – Scotland (www.environmental-protection.org.uk.), providing policy support for regulation of areas of air, noise and land quality relevant to Scottish environmental quality.

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NATALIE DICKINSON,

PhD student

Research topic: Micronutrient Deficiency in Maternity and Child Health: Scope for Agricultural and Educational Intervention in Soil-Food-Human Transfer

Supervision: Prof Andrew Hursthouse, Dr Jean Rankin

Mini CV:
Education: 2003 – 2006: BN Nursing (Glasgow) 2001 – 2002: MSc Environmental and Ecological Sciences (Lancaster) 1998 – 2001: BSc(Hons) Ecology/Canada (Lancaster)

The focus of my research is to identify the status of deficiencies of micronutrients, particularly iron and zinc, in soils, crops and blood samples of pregnant subsistence farmers in two distinct regions of southern Malawi. I aim to assess the impact of human behaviour on micronutrient cycling in these communities, and to identify public health issues surrounding behavioural, cultural and knowledge barriers to nutrition intervention.

I am a qualified Staff Nurse, with experience in critical care environments.

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sonia morais rodrigues

PhD student

Research topic: Tools for Soil Data Information in Support of the Implementation of the EU Soil Protection Strategy in Portugal.

Supervision: Armando Duarte (Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal); Andrew Hursthouse (UWS); Jan Japenga (Alterra - Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands)

Mini CV:
2005 - "Mestrado" Environmental Management and Policy - Universidade de Aveiro (thesis: Urban Soil Quality Assessment using a GIS-based Approach); 2001 - "Licenciatura" Environmental Engineering - Universidade de Aveiro

The aims of my research are to provide an overview of soil contaminated sites and remediation needs in Portugal and to discuss soil quality indicators, monitoring and risk assessment methodologies focusing on different land uses in order to produce tools to support the implementation of the EU strategy for soil protection in Portugal.

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MARTA BRUNO SOARES

PhD student

Research topic: Vulnerability of local communities in Scotland to future climate change and its policy implications.

Supervision: Dr. Alexandre Gagnon, Professor Peter Tucker and Dr. Ruth Doherty (Edinburgh University).

Mini-CV:
2006 – 2008: Working at Oxford City Council as a policy planner. Main tasks included writing local policies related to climate change; sustainability appraisal of plans; public consultation; GIS and monitoring.
2004 – 2005: MSc in Spatial Planning, Oxford Brookes University, UK.
1998 – 2003: Licenciatura in Environment Management, Universidade Atlântica, Portugal.

My research aims to understand the vulnerability of local communities and authorities in Scotland to future climate change. To achieve this I will assess the main vulnerabilities of local communities to climate change impacts and also their adaptive capacity to counteract and potentially benefit from those impacts. I will also be looking into how to utilise and incorporate the outcomes of the vulnerability assessment in local policy development and identify the main knowledge gaps, obstacles and limitations to the implementation of climate change related policies at the local level.

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marta zurakowska

PhD Student

Research topic: Current mechanisms and future patterns of stone decay in cleaned sandstone and granite buildings

Supervision: Dr. John Hughes (UWS), Ewan Hyslop (British Geological Survey), Craig Kennedy and Maureen Young (Historic Scotland), Richard Laing (The Robert Gordon University)

Mini CV:
A geologist with interest in natural building materials research, strongly interested in environmental sciences with special passion for EARTH buildings.

1997-2002- Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan- MSc in geology, 2003-2007- Poznan University of Technology- research assistant in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics Department- ground investigation reporting, research on earth buildings.Experienced as a teacher with award for best teacher at PUT Poznan (in 2006).
2007- Glasgow University- research assistant in Geology Department- research on low temperature metamorphism in granites, apatite fission track analysis.

From October 2007- PhD student at UWS. Current research concentrates on mechanisms of stone decay in buildings. The studies are based on detail mineralogical examinations of various stones from buildings in Scotland.

Publication list:
- M. Zurakowska, J. J. Hughes, E. K. Hyslop, M. E. Young, C. Kennedy, R. Laing,  Decay of Cleaned Sandstone Buildings in Scotland. 11th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, 15-20 September 2008, Torun, Poland.
- M. Zurakowska, Michniewicz J., Nawrocka D., Pazdur A., 2007, Issue of actual chronology of a Romanesque chapel at the Wlen Castle (lower Silesia, Poland) in the light of mortar radiocarbon dating, Geochronometria, 26 (2007) (www.geochronometria.pl)
- M. Zurakowska, 2006, Houses  of  clay, Recykling, 5/2006 (64)
- M. Zurakowska, 2005,  Geological, geotechnical and ecological  aspects of buildings of clay, XVII All-Polish Scientific-Technical Multi-disciplinary Conference: Ecology and Building , 13-15 October 2005, Bielsko- Biala, Poland
- M. Zurakowska, 2005, Ecological houses of clay, Recykling, 3/2005 (51)
- M. Zurakowska, 2004, House of clay,  XVI All-Polish Scientific-Technical Multi-disciplinary Conference: Ecology and Building , 14-16 October 2004, Bielsko- Biala, Poland