Staff profile
Mr Martin D. West
Senior Analytical Experimental Officer
BSc, MSc(Eng), AMIChemE, MIScT

Affiliation | Room number | Telephone |
---|---|---|
Senior Analytical Experimental Officer in the Department of Geography | 113 | +44 (0) 191 33 44359 |
Biography
I have over 20 years of experience working in various technical roles in industry and academia. Prior to joining the university as a research technician in 2005, I was the principle chemist and senior chemist in two local UKAS/MCERTS accredited contract laboratories where I was responsible for supervising a small team of analysts.
Joining the university allowed me to get more directly involved with analytical research and development, a part of the job that I most enjoy. In 2010 I was promoted to grade 7 senior research technician with direct responsibility for the day-to-day running of the chemical analysis laboratories within the department.
Responsibilities within department
- Management of the Analytical Laboratory.
- Management of the Gamma Spectroscopy Laboratory.
- Management of the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) facilties.
- Provide advice, training and supervision for users of the laboratory facilities.
- Method/Instrument development and validation.
- Instrument maintenance and repair.
Expertise/Specialisations:
- GC-IRMS, EA-IRMS.
- GC/MS (including pyrolysis-GC/MS, CI-GC/MS).
- LC-MS/MS.
- Gamma Spectroscopy/Gamma dating.
- ICP-MS.
- UV-vis Spectrometry.
Other Analytical Techniques
- Elemental Analysis (CHNSO) by combustion.
- TOC/DOC/TN (in waters by combustion).
- IC and IC/MS.
- GC-FID.
- GC-TOF
- ICP-OES.
- AAS (HG-AAS).
- Bomb Calorimetry.
- XRF.
- Various extractions/titrations/colorimetric procedures and associated instruments.
Publications
Journal Article
- McClymont, Erin L., Bentley, Michael J., Hodgson, Dominic A., Spencer-Jones, Charlotte L., Wardley, Thomas, West, Martin D., Croudace, Ian W., Berg, Sonja, Gröcke, Darren R., Kuhn, Gerhard, Jamieson, Stewart S. R., Sime, Louise & Phillips, Richard A. (2022). Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits. Climate of the Past 18(2): 381-403.
- McClymont, E.L., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Spencer-Jones, C.L., Wardley, T., West, M.D., Croudace, I.W., Berg, S., Gröke, D., Kuhn, G., Jamieson, S.S.R., Sime, L. & Phillips, R.A. (2022). Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits. Climate of the Past
- Hilton, Robert G., Turowski, Jens M., Winnick, Matthew, Dellinger, Mathieu, Schleppi, Patrick, Williams, Kenneth H., Lawrence, Corey R., Maher, Katharine, West, Martin & Hayton, Amanda (2021). Concentration‐discharge relationships of dissolved rhenium in Alpine catchments reveal its use as a tracer of oxidative weathering. Water Resources Research 57(11): e2021WR029844.
- Wang, J., Howarth, J.D., McClymont, E.L., Densmore, A.L., Fitzsimons, S.J., Croissant, T., Groecke, D.R., West, M.D., Harvey, E., Frith, N.V., Garnett, M.H. & Hilton, R.G. (2020). Long-term patterns of hillslope erosion by earthquake-induced landslides shape mountain landscapes. Science Advances 6(23): eaaz6446.
- Morley, Peter, Jump, Alistair, West, Martin David & Donoghue, Daniel (2020). Spectral response of chlorophyll content during leaf senescence in European beech trees. Environmental Research Communications
- Johnson, K.L., McCann, C.M., Wilkinson, J.L., Jones, M., Tebo, B.M., West, M., Elgy, C., Clarke, C.E., Gowdy, C. & Hudson-Edwards, K.A. (2018). Dissolved Mn(III) in Water Treatment Works: Prevalence and Significance. Water Research 140: 181-190.