Staff profile

I have over 25 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 senior analytical scientific officer 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 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).
• HR-GC/MS (Orbitrap-Non-targeted Analysis - including use of Compound Discoverer Software).
• 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.

Journal Article

• Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits
  
  McClymont, E. L., Bentley, M. J., Hodgson, D. A., Spencer-Jones, C. L., Wardley, T., West, M. D., Croudace, I. W., Berg, S., Gröcke, D. R., Kuhn, G., Jamieson, S. S., 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, 18(2), 381-403. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-381-2022
• Concentration‐discharge relationships of dissolved rhenium in Alpine catchments reveal its use as a tracer of oxidative weathering
  
  Hilton, R. G., Turowski, J. M., Winnick, M., Dellinger, M., Schleppi, P., Williams, K. H., Lawrence, C. R., Maher, K., West, M., & Hayton, A. (2021). Concentration‐discharge relationships of dissolved rhenium in Alpine catchments reveal its use as a tracer of oxidative weathering. Water Resources Research, 57(11), Article e2021WR029844. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021wr029844
• Spectral response of chlorophyll content during leaf senescence in European beech trees
  
  Morley, P., Jump, A., West, M. D., & Donoghue, D. (2020). Spectral response of chlorophyll content during leaf senescence in European beech trees. Environmental Research Communications, 2(7), Article 071002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/aba7a0
• Long-term patterns of hillslope erosion by earthquake-induced landslides shape mountain landscapes
  
  Wang, J., Howarth, J. D., McClymont, E. L., Densmore, A. L., Fitzsimons, S. J., Croissant, T., Grocke, D. R., West, M. D., Harvey, E. L., 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), Article eaaz6446. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz6446
• Dissolved Mn(III) in Water Treatment Works: Prevalence and Significance
  
  Johnson, K., McCann, C., Wilkinson, J., Jones, M., Tebo, B., West, M., Elgy, C., Clarke, C., Gowdy, C., & Hudson-Edwards, K. (2018). Dissolved Mn(III) in Water Treatment Works: Prevalence and Significance. Water Research, 140, 181-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.04.038