The Rintoul-Hynes lab group has three key areas of interest:
sustainable agriculture and agrobiodiversity, environmental pollution and remediation, and soil forensics and forensic entomology.
Current members of my research group are:
Chris Ferguson (PhD in pollution and phtoremediation), Maya Sollen-Norrlin (PhD in climate resilience and sustainable apple orchard management), Amy Batbold (PhD in the importance of urban green spaces for mental and physical health), Pip Bromley (MSc in sustainable agriculture and soil health), Alice Crabb (MA in forensic entomology), Lara Shilston (Msc in pollution uptake in wilflowers and impact on pollen abundance/morphology), Holly Chart (MSc in the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi additives for commercial strawberry cultivars) and Libby Maw (BSc in mycorrhizal fungi abundance in orchards and links to soil health).
Past members include Konstantinos Tsiolis (MSc in whether bare soil landscapes encourage ground-nesting bees) and Holly Harrison (MSc in the effect of burial conditions on human remains).
Supervision
I am actively looking for MSc or PhD students in the following research topics:
- Soil pollution and remediation
- Toxicity effects on soil organisms
- Sustainable agriculture
- Soil forensics or forensic entomology
Current research
Heavy metal pollution effects on soils, ecosystems and human health
I am quantifying pollution and its effects on soil organisms and plant HM uptake at Parys Mountain, Wales. In addition, my PhD student, Christopher Ferguson, is mapping soil pollution by tanneries in India and investigating the phytoremediation potential of crops (collaboration with Gandhigram Rural Institute University).
Valorisation of roadside nature reserves
This is a European Union Interreg 2 Seas Grassification project examining and valorise the complete value chain from roadside management to end product via a multi-dimensional approach. This research will initiate a new bio-based circular economy based upon road side grass clippings. We are examining heavy metal contamination, forage quality, biodiversity and potential for vegetation to be used as a biofertilizer. Dr Hannah Scott is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Agroforestry systems and soil quality
I am running a project investigating the beneficial effects on agroforestry practices on soil quality in India. I am collaborating with Dr Bhim Badahur Ghaley (University of Copenhagen) and colleagues at Gandhigram Rural Institute University.
Mycorrhizal fungi abundance and diversity
I am looking at the effects of soil properties and mycorrhizal fungi on sand dune stabilization and vegetation succession in Sydney, Australia in collaboration with Dr Deirdre Dragovich (University of Sydney). I am examining mycorrhizal colonisation and diversity associated with bananas and arable crops on Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. This is a collaboration with Kilimanjaro Environmental Development Association.
Soil forensics
I am co-supervising a project with Laura Vera-Stimpson (Dept of Forensics) investigating the effects of soil properties on tissue degradation in pigs, and the implications for forensic pathology of human remains.
External/ Internal Funding
Date
|
Project
|
Source
|
Funder
|
Total budget awarded
|
May-14
|
Conference attendance: New Phytologist 33rd Annual Symposium
|
External
|
Association for Commonwealth Universities
|
£700.00
|
Feb-18
|
Research: Grassification
|
External
|
EU Interreg 2 Seas
|
£347,046.06
|
Jul-21
|
Consultancy: Soil analysis
|
External
|
South East Rivers Trust
|
£2,195.00
|
Jul-21
|
Consultancy: Soil analysis
|
External
|
Kent County Council
|
£3,095.00
|
Oct-21
|
Research: Heavy metal and PAH pollution of arable farms, road verges and nature reserves
|
External
|
Earthcare Technical
|
£18,600.00
|
Aug-22
|
Consultancy: Soil and vegetation analysis
|
External
|
Kent Wildlife Trust
|
£11,900.00
|
Mar-23
|
Research: Microplastics in soils from arable farms, road verges and nature reserves
|
External
|
Earthcare Technical
|
£4,900.00
|
Apr-14
|
Erasmus exchange programme (Leuphana Universität)
|
Internal
|
Erasmus Scheme
|
£1,000.00
|
Jun-14
|
YouTube series on careers in environmental science
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£3,500.00
|
Oct-14
|
Soil equipment bundle
|
Internal
|
Captial bid funding
|
£10,500.00
|
Oct-14
|
Conference attendance: Eurasian Soil Conference
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£800.00
|
Mar-15
|
Conference attendance: New Perspectives in Science Education
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£800.00
|
Jul-15
|
Internship: Soil pollution and bioaccumulation at Milton Creek Country Park
|
Internal
|
University internship programme
|
£3,000.00
|
Aug-15
|
Conference attendance: Wageningen Soil Conference
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£800.00
|
Jun-16
|
HEA Team Teaching Excellence Award for Research-Involved Teaching
|
Internal
|
Higher Education Academy Fund
|
£750.00
|
Aug-16
|
Mycorrhizal spore identification assistance
|
Internal
|
Ecology Research Group Fund
|
£780.00
|
Dec-16
|
6 week Visiting scholarship at University of Sydney
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£4,000.00
|
Aug-17
|
Tanzania student research fieldwork
|
Internal
|
Futures Initiative
|
£1,000.00
|
Aug-17
|
Iceland student fieldtrip
|
Internal
|
Futures Initiative
|
£500.00
|
Oct-17
|
Iceland student fieldtrip
|
Internal
|
Futures Initiative
|
£1,000.00
|
May-18
|
Research: Bali rice paddy soil analysis/fieldwork
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£4,880.00
|
Sep-18
|
PhD scholarship in pollution/phytoremediation (Chris Ferguson)
|
Internal
|
University Graduate PhD Scholarship
|
£81,000.00
|
Feb-19
|
India student fieldtrip/PhD student fieldwork
|
Internal
|
Learning & Teaching Fund
|
£2,800.00
|
May-19
|
Fieldwork equipment
|
Internal
|
Learning & Teaching Fund
|
£290.00
|
Mar-22
|
PhD scholarship in orchard management (Maya Sollen-Norrlin)
|
Internal
|
University PhD/Instructor Scholarship
|
£63,000.00
|
Jun-22
|
eDNA analysis of orchard soils
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£4,500.00
|
Nov-22
|
eDNA analysis of orchard soils
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£4,500.00
|
Dec-22
|
Conference attendance: Food and Fertilizer Security
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£1,500.00
|
Jan-23
|
PhD scholarship in urban green spaces (Amy Batbold)
|
Internal
|
Addressing the Climate Emergency Fund
|
£81,000.00
|
Jan-23
|
Research: Heavy metal pollution from conflict in Ukraine
|
Internal
|
Section of Natural and Applied Sciences
|
£1,600.00
|
Feb-23
|
Research: Microplastics in soils from arable farms, road verges and nature reserves
|
Internal
|
Research Accelerator Impact Kickstarter Funding
|
£2,900.00
|
Feb-23
|
Research: Explosives pollution from conflict in Ukraine
|
Internal
|
Research Accelerator Research Booster Funding
|
£4,400.00
|
Feb-23
|
Internship: Use of native and invasive mussel to filter river water pollution
|
Internal
|
University internship programme
|
£1,500.00
|
|
TOTAL EXTERNAL FUNDING BUDGET
|
|
£388,436.06
|
TOTAL INTERNAL FUNDING BUDGET
|
|
£282,300.00
|
TOTAL FUNDING BUDGET
|
|
£670,736.06
|