People
Director
Gary is a Professor of Environmental Microbiology in the School of Life Sciences. His research focuses on the impact of a changing climate on the benefits soils provide to society, and how soils can be used to mitigate global warming. This includes processes by which carbon becomes sequestered from the atmosphere into soil, the effects of extreme weather on soil systems, and approaches to harness natural biota to sustain crop productivity. He also studies the environmental fate and persistence of pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides and plastic.
Co-Director
James Link opens in a new windowis a Professor in Electronic Engineering. His research interests are in the development of gas sensors and sensors systems applied to environmental monitoring and biosensing applications.
Co-Director
Jessica is a Senior teaching Fellow in Global Sustainable Development. Her main research interests surround human-ecosystem interactions, marine resources monitoring, impact assessments, environmental management, marine plastics, climate change management, climate change mitigation, tourism, eco-tourism.
Co-Director
Robin is a Professor of Evolutionary Genetics in the School of Life Sciences specializing in archaeogenomics and palaeometagenomics. He uses evolutionary principles to investigate the evolution of domestication and reconstruction of palaeoenvironments. To do this his group retrieves ancient DNA from archaeological plant samples and sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA), from which ancient genomes are built following evolution directly through time and profiles of the plants and animals that existed thousands of years ago are reconstructed to gain insight into those past environments.
Member
Edwin is an environmental scientist with research and teaching interests in climate change, water treatment technologies, waste management and food safety. Before joining the Global Sustainable Development (GSD) programme in September 2023, I lived and worked in the civil service sector specializing in environmental- and food-related fields, as well as lecturing in a university and a vocational institute, in Hong Kong. I taught a variety of courses for example foundation biology, environmental impacts assessment, food safety and occupational health.
Member
Katie is a teaching fellow in Global Sustainable Development. My broad research interests are in addressing how the cryosphere is responding to climate change, thinking about a variety of environmental processes such as volcanic particle deposition on ice, microplastic contamination, meteorite loss, and cryoconite development. Ultimately, my research aims to improve our understanding of anthropogenic and natural pollution in the cryosphere and consider the interdisciplinary scope of these issues.
Member
Sarah is an environmental researcher and field scientist in the School of Life Sciences with an interest in multidisciplinary approaches to ecosystem conservation and management. I have expertise in tropical peatland ecology and the role of freshwater ecosystems in the global carbon cycle.
Member
Ed is an Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences. My research focuses on host-microbe interactions and organismal responses to climate change. As a significant aspect of my research aims to address the declines in the world’s coral reefs, I am participating in WECAN as solutions to the coral reef crisis will require interdisciplinary approaches.
Member
Feng is an Associate Professsor in Global Sustainable Development. My research interests lie in the intersection of water, ecosystem, society, and technologies, focusing on water security, climate resilience, and digital technologies and participatory methods for sustainable development.
Member
Ludovica is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics. An environmental and health economist, she studies the social costs of pollution, including air pollution and lead exposure, as well as policies to curb pollution, with a focus individuals' and firms' compliance behavior. She investigates these issues using large administrative datasets and experimental and quasi-experimental methods.
Member
Mark is a Reader in the Department of Chemistry. His research involves the use of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) for the ultrahigh resolution characterization of complex mixtures. Such samples include bitumen (such as used in construction of roads), biofuels/bio-oils, archaeological samples, and a variety of environmental samples. In addition, research group develops need approaches for data processing and visualization. Current collaborators include Environment and Climate Change Canada and the British Geological Survey, amongst others.
Group projects can be found here.
Member
Molly is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Prof. Gary Bending’s research group in the School of Life Sciences. Her work focuses on the use of molecular techniques to monitor biodiversity in urban areas, with a particular interest in invasive and native crayfish species. Her wider research interests include the application of CRISPR-Cas systems to environmental monitoring and the development of sensors for in-field assessments of biodiversity.
Secretary for WESIC
Chloe Smith
Chloe is the acting Research Officer for the School of Engineering and Secutary for WESIC.
If you have any queries, want to be added to the mailing list or become a member of WESIC please email chloe.g.smith@warwick.ac.uk.