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Professor of Environmental Change, UCL

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most threatened environments on our planet. Globally, water quality has deteriorated rapidly since the 19th century, while water quantity is especially vulnerable in semi-arid regions. This has led to almost 80% of the world’s population being exposed to substantial water security threats.

For over 20 years I have worked on assessing human and climatic impacts on some of the world’s most important freshwater ecosystems, including Lake Baikal and the Aral Sea in central Asia, and the Okavango Delta in southern Africa. Key to much of this work is the use biological organisms and stable isotopes to reconstruct past environments.

I work in the Environmental Change Research Centre and the Palaeoclimate Research Group within the Department of Geography at UCL, one of the world’s leading universities. I teach at all levels of the curriculum, including undergraduates, MSc and PhD students. I am currently Vice-Dean for Research in the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. I have authored and co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles and have been PI on 28 projects.

Experience

  • –present
    Professor of Environmental Change, University College London

Education

  • 1993 
    University of Manchester , PhD Environmental Sciences
  • 1989 
    University of Edinburgh, BSc Biological Sciences (Botany)

Professional Memberships

  • Royal Geographical Society