I am an environmental geochemist. I was awarded my PhD in 2011 from the University of Birmingham on the Synthesis and Environmental Chemistry of Silver and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles. Since then, I have conducted postgraduate research at the Universities of Birmingham, Melbourne, Monash University, the ANSTO-Australian Synchrotron (XAS-beamline) and University of Strathclyde. I am interested in the behaviour of metals and radionuclides (U, Sr) in the environment within water, natural and anthropogenic geomaterials, as well as the influence of inorganic minerals and natural organic matter.

At the University of Strathclyde (2018 ~ ), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and ANRC, I am researching radionuclide uptake by hydroxyapatite (HAp) as a layer on cement. The HAp layer acts as a barrier to the underlying cement or concrete and is designed to be used in nuclear decommissioning. The intention is that on decommissioning the contaminated layer is removed for waste disposal leaving the underlying concrete for recycling.

I co-supervising a PhD project (Marta Kalabová) investigating metal capture by tufa. Tufa form calcite deposits from precipitated groundwater through gaseous exchange with CO₂.  Where this has occurred in anthropogenic sites, such as legacy mining and steel works sites, metals have been observed within its structure. Harnessing the metal capture ability of tufa could provide a sustainable low carbon technique for on-site remediation.