A change of scenery

This update is a bit late, but my previous post is now out of date! In January I  started a lectureship at Manchester Metropolitan University, researching and teaching Environmental Science in the School of Science and the Environment. The two universities are so close together that the move was all of 600m, in fact I can see my old office from my new one.

The STEPPING UP project I was working on at the Tyndall Centre continues, they’re working on the important crossover in demand between food, water and energy resources. You can keep up with their progress via their website or twitter (@steppingupmcr)

As for keeping up with me, I’ll keep posting news, papers and tutorials to this site but you can also see my research outputs on ResearchGate and Google Scholar. Occasional messages may come out from twitter (@sparkes_geochem) as well.

New research horizons

My research project into Siberian permafrost erosion has come to an end, and the results were presented at the recent IMOG conference in Prague. Scientific papers are continuing to be developed, and will be publicised here along with any other relevant permafrost news.

My next challenge involves taking a more direct role in climate adaption and mitigation. I have joined the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, still at the University of Manchester, and am working in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. This is part of a UK-wide network of scientists working across disciplines to understand and mitigate climate change.

I will be researching and project managing a new EPSRC grant, “STEPPING-UP” that aims to take small-scale sustainability initiatives and turn them into policies that will make a real difference to the water, food and energy supply of entire regions or countries. Creating a secure and sustainable future for all three of these competing requirements, even when the climate has changed by 4°C, is a real challenge for governments around the world.