Geography, Environment and Agriculture

Overview

Research in agriculture, biotechnology, environmental sciences, and geography is focused principally in areas of crop protection, climate change mitigation, agricultural biotechnology, water resources, food security, environmental conservation, transport and urban planning.

The research is innovative and applied and fully engaged with the communities it aims to support by providing sustainable solutions in changing and challenging times for our planet.

The focus engages research in an innovative way, creating a dynamic culture and environment extending our reach nationally and internationally through impact, exploitation and dissemination.

Our aim is to provide solutions, advice, and improved technologies that will help to mitigate against the changing environment, climate and future uncertainties.   

Grants have recently been awarded for research from organisations including the BBSRC, Leverhulme Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Union, Defra, and the Environment Agency.

Our recent successes

Some recent successes include:

• A successful EU Marie Curie proposal for work on resistance against the pathogen that causes phoma stem canker on oilseed rape.
• Leverhulme Grant awarded to Darren Crook ref RPG-392 'An investigation into the sustainability of Suranga technology in south Karnataka and north Kerala states of India' (£109,067, start date 12 March 2012).
• Dahlia Sidique started a PhD funded by the Malaysian government on oilseed rape resistance to canker pathogens (£100,000, June 2011) with Bruce Fitt et al. 
• Steven Moloney started a PhD funded by DuPont, Felix Thornley Trust, Perry Foundation and UH (£90,000, Oct 2011) with Bruce Fitt et al.
• AERU obtained European Commission funding to develop a system for governments across Europe on optimising their Rural Development Programmes to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• AERU won funding from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to examine the evidence for potential greenhouse gas emission benefits associated with the use of feed additives in livestock agriculture.

Research student areas

There are a growing number of research students within this area and we can offer research provision supervision in a wide variety of topics including: ·     

• Alpine, Himalayan and Arctic glacier hydrology
• Glacial and paraglacial geomorphology and sedimentology   
• Glacier ecosystems     
• Glacial basal processes and borehole instrumentation  
• Scanning electron microscopy of earth surface sediments    
• Glaciology field instrumentation    
• Plant pathology    
• Crop protection    
• Biotechnology   
• Nematology  
• Entomology    
• Aquatic ecology   
• Irrigation and water   
• Food security   
• Environmental management and policy   
• Environmental history   
• Transport geography   
• Urban development and regeneration  
• Sustainable planning    
• Demography   
• Historical geography