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Research group

Landscape Dynamics and Ecology

Hill sides

We use multi-proxy environmental data, and model past and present environments to further our understanding of environmental change.

Part of Geography and environmental science

About

Our research often involves the application of new methodological approaches that integrate high-resolution field and laboratory data acquisition with numerical and physical modelling.

Our main research priorities include:

  • geomorphic processes in aeolian, coastal, fluvial and shallow marine, glacial and periglacial environments
  • changes in environmental systems in response to climate change, in fluvial, glacial and coastal environments
  • the effects of extreme events on society, including catchment management, flooding, coastal changes and ecosystem responses
  • reconstructing climate change during the quaternary (Europe, the Americas, Arctic and South Pacific
  • understanding the process, timing and forcing of human migration into the tropical South Pacific
  • exploring what makes small islands vulnerable to multiple hazards

Research highlights

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Population mapping saves lives

AI, big data and analytics
Future societies and communities
Health and wellbeing
A University of Southampton research group is using new ways of mapping and counting populations to help developing countries. WorldPop's datasets have helped to eradicate polio in Nigeria and assist earthquake victims in Nepal.

People, projects and publications

People

Dr Ash Abrook

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Climate variability (long and short term)
  • Abrupt climate and environmental change
  • Palaeoecology

Dr Ben Pears

Research Fellow

Email: b.r.pears@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

Dr Christopher Tomsett

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Chris is currently investigating the possibility of extracting depth averaged sediment loads for global rivers from satellite imagery. The research involves using a mixture of in-situ measurements, acoustic techniques, and modelling to link variations in sediment flux to catchment properties. This can then be used to explore the drivers of global sediment flux to the oceans over time.  
  • His previous research focussed on the interactions between vegetation and flow, using novel UAV based sensing systems to extract vegetation structure and compare this to morphological change at a variety of scales.  

Professor David Sear

Professor

Email: d.sear@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

ORCID

Dr Eli Lazarus

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • coastal and fluvial dynamics
  • geomorphology
  • human-environmental coupled systems

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: e.d.lazarus@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

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ORCID
Twitter

Dr Hal Voepel PhD, MS, BSE, BS

Senior Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Hydrological and sediment processes in watersheds and rivers
  • Contaminant transport throughout hydrologic systems
  • Water and sediment impact on human development

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: h.e.voepel@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

ORCID

Dr Jake Snaddon BSc, PhD Cantab, FHEA

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Tropical forest ecology and conservation
  • Acoustic monitoring of biodiversity and anthropogenic disturbances
  • Managing tropical agricultural ecosystems for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: j.l.snaddon@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

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ORCID
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Professor Jane Hart

Professor of Geography

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: j.k.hart@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

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ORCID

Dr Jo Nield

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Dune Processes
  • Salt pan dynamics
  • Dust emissive surfaces

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: j.nield@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

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ORCID
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Professor Julian Leyland

Professor

Research interests

  • Fluvial and Intertidal Geomorphology
  • Remote Environmental Sensing
  • UAVs, USVs and Autonomy in Geoscience

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: j.leyland@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ (View in Google Maps)

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ORCID
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My research is centred on large-scale hydrology and its interactions with climate variability and change.
Professor Justin Sheffield
Head of School
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