Professional summary
Dan is a Molecular Ecologist whose research focussed on the application of molecular tools such as DNA sequencing and analysis, biospectroscopy and cytometry, for understanding the structure and function of ecosystems, with a focus on the impacts of anthropogenic activity on ecosystem health. He is currently acting deputy Science Area Head (SAH) for the Soils & Land Use department.
Microbes in freshwater ecosystems play a crucial role in major global biogeochemical cycles, including carbon cycling, the cycling of essential macronutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, and the breakdown of organic pollutants. Despite their importance, we lack an understanding of the processes that determine community composition, and the role that community composition plays in controlling nutrient cycling. Dan’s research explores these issues by examining spatial and temporal changes in lotic microbial communities. Much of this work has been done on the river Thames, using the Thames Initiative as a platform for sample collection and contextual data, as well as overseas, under UKCEH's National Capability SUNRISE research programme.
Dan obtained a B.Sc. in Biology from Cardiff University, in 2002. Following this, he stayed at Cardiff University to pursue doctoral studies, where he developed molecular approaches to investigate food webs in soil ecosystems. For this work, he obtained his PhD in Molecular Ecology from Cardiff University in 2007.