Research

Research

Members of the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences are involved in conducting world class research funded by national and international granting agencies.

Research activities include laboratory and fieldwork based projects in addition to theoretical and high performance computing focused studies. The training of highly qualified physical scientists is a key mission within the department and interested graduate school applicants are encouraged to contact appropriate departmental faculty members.

Departmental research activities focus on chemistry, environmental science, environmental study and planetary physics.

G. Arhonditsis

Aquatic biogeochemical modelling & plankton ecology
P. Artymowicz Origin and evolution of planetary systems
M. Dittrich Microorganism-Mineral Interactions,Geomicrobiology, Biogeochemistry
J. Donaldson Atmospheric and Physical Chemistry
N. Eyles The last 4 billion years; Earth’s glacial history
W. Gough Climate change, meterology and ocean modelling
P. Heron

Supercontinents, Mantle Lithosphere, Data Science, Plate Tectonics, Catastrophe modelling, Science communication, Arctic dynamics, Climate modelling, Numerical modelling

K. Howard Groundwater research
M. Isaac Agroecology; Plant-soil interactions; Biogeochemical cycling; Environment and Development
A. Izmaylov Theoretical Physical Chemistry
K. Kerman Analytical and Biological Chemistry
N. Klenk Environmental governance and science in society
B. Kraatz Bioinorganic and Biological Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Bioanalytical Chemistry, & Water Contamination
N. Latulippe Indigenous geographies and systems of knowledge, environmental governance, and law
J.Lowman Mantle convection and planetary interior dynamics
A. Martin Agriculture and climate change; agroecology; plant ecology; plant functional traits
K. Menou Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics: accretion flows, stars and planets; Extrasolar Planets: atmospheres, habitability and orbital dynamics
C. Mitchell Hydrology, biogeochemistry, mercury and metals cycling
H. Rein Planet formation, stochastic processes, planet migration, celestial mechanics, Saturn's rings, N-body codes, hydrodynamics, code development and high performance computing
A. Simpson Analytical environmental chemistry
M. Simpson Molecular Biogeochemistry, Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Metabolomics
R. Sullan Biophysical Chemistry; Mechano-microbiology
L.Tozer  The governance of energy and urban sustainability transitions
D. Valencia The characterisation of the low-mass planets: super-Earths and mini-Neptunes
O. Voznyy Developing new materials for Li-ion batteries, hydrogen storage, CO2 capture, and photovoltaics
F. Wania Environmental organic chemistry
M. Wells Environmental fluid dynamics
X.A. Zhang Biological, organic and bioinorganic chemistry; molecular imaging