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Staff Profile

Dr Anke Neumann

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering

Background

I am an environmental chemist, investigating mineral redox reactions and how these processes impact water quality. I joined the Environmental Engineering group in 2014 and specialise in research into iron (bio)geochemistry, contaminant transformation and water sustainability. Working at the interface of environmental science/engineering and geochemistry, my research bridges the gap between mechanistic understanding of iron redox processes at the micro- to nanoscale and their practical application for protecting and enhancing the quality and sustainability of water and the environment. Details of current projects can be found on the Neumann Research Group website.

As Chair of the Clay Minerals Group of the the Mineralogical Society, I am also keen to promote service to the community and I am particularly excited about this year's 75 Jubilee Year of the CMG (see details of activities on the CMG Jubilee website)

Appointments

2021           Visiting Researcher, GFZ Potsdam (German  Research Centre for Geosciences), Germany

2020-date   Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, Newcastle University, UK

2014-2020  Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, Newcastle University, UK

2011-2013  Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of Iowa, USA

2011           Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Eawag, Switzerland

2009-2011  Independent Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Bangladesh; in cooperation with Eawag, Switzerland

2008-2009  Postdoctoral Research Scientist, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Education

2009   PhD (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich)  ETH Zurich, Switzerland

2004   MSc (Dipl. Chem. ETH)    ETH Zurich, Switzerland

2001   Vordiplom                         University of Rostock, Germany

Service to Professional Societies

  • Chair of the Clay Minerals Group of the the Mineralogical Society (2020-2023)
  • Elected Councilor of the Clay Minerals Society (2018-2021)
  • Member of the Clay Minerals Society’s Council Nominations Committee (2018-2021)
  • Committee member of the Clay Minerals Group of the Mineralogical Society (since 2017)

Memberships

  • Geochemical Society (2010-)
  • Mineralogical Society (2014-)
  • American Chemical Society (2014-)
  • Clay Minerals Society (2016-)

Google scholar: Click here.
ORCID: Click here.

Research

Research Interests

My research focuses on redox processes at the mineral-water interface and how these processes impact water quality. My work spans the broad range from understanding fundamental mechanisms of electron transfer to application of redox processes for contaminant transformation or removal, both in natural and engineered environments. Working at the interface of environmental engineering, soil science, and (bio)geochemistry, I am eager to address emerging and transdisciplinary questions related to water sustainability.

My current specific research interests include

* redox reactions in complex biogeochemical environments;

* effects of fluctuating redox conditions on Fe mineral reactivity;

* implications of Fe(II)-induced processes at minerals for contaminant transformation.


To address these research themes, my group uses a variety of techniques to analyze organic and inorganic species in aqueous phase (HPLC, GC-MS, GC-FID, ICP-MS), to characterize mineral phases (infrared spectroscopy - ATR-IR, DRIFT, X-ray diffraction - XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron microscopy - SEM, TEM), and stable isotopes as process tracers. 


Funded Projects

Current Grants

  • Understanding Arsenic removal processes: passive treatment systems as proxies for natural environments (2021-2025), NERC IAPETUS2 DTP studentship, PI; Co-Is: Adam Jarvis (Newcastle University), Cindy Smith (University of Glasgow), CASE partner: Coal Authority/Environment Agency
  • Developing a quantitative framework for predicting abiotic attenuation under natural and transitional site management scenarios (2020-2023), Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), US Department of Defense (DoD), US Department of Energy (DoE), and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Co-I; PI: Paul Tratnyek (Oregon Health and Science University, USA), Co-PIs: Richard Johnson (Oregon Health and Science University, USA); Michelle Scherer, Drew Latta, Timothy Mattes (University of Iowa, USA)
  • Advancing Circular Economy (ACE) Research and Development Demonstrator project (2020-2022), North of Tyne Combined Authority, Co-I; PI: Robert Edwards (Newcastle University); collaborating academic institutions and industry partners: Proctor & Gamble’s Newcastle Innovation Centre, Northumbria University, Prozomix Ltd., the Centre for Process Innovation, Innovation SuperNetwork
  • Enhancing analytical capabilities in soils for low-carbon technologies (2020-2021), White Rose Collaboration Fund, Partner; PI: Alastair Marsh (University of Leeds); all team members: https://bit.ly/2LLVcAl
  • Harnessing microbially mediated redox processes for sustainable water treatment (2019-2023), EPSRC DTP studentship, PI; Co-I: James Kitson (Newcastle University, UK)
  • Providing the last piece of the puzzle: Completing our understanding of the unusual redox buffer behavior of clay minerals (2019-2020), Eawag Discretionary Funds, grant co-written, project co-lead; PI: Thomas Hofstetter (Eawag, Switzerland); collaborators: Andreas Voegelin (Eawag, Switzerland), Michael Sander (ETH Zürich, Switzerland), Fabien Baron, Eric Ferrage, Sabine Petit (University of Poitiers, France), Carolyn Pearce (PNNL, USA)
  • Quantifying the importance of different sources of diffuse pollution in mining-impacted rivers (2018-2022), NERC IAPETUS2 DTP studentship, Co-I; PI: Adam Jarvis, collaborator: Dr Barbara Palumbo-Roe (BGS), CASE partners: British Geological Survey, Environment Agency
  • Clay minerals and sandstone reservoirs: implications for fines migration and EOR (2018-2022), NERC CDT in Oil and Gas studentship, Co-I; PI: Chris Greenwell (Durham University, UK); collaborators: Kislon Voitchovsky (Durham University), Ian Collins (BP)
  • Assessing the sustainability of Fe-bearing clay mineral redox reactions for application in engineered systems (2017-2021), EPSRC DTP studentship, PI; collaborator: Neil Gray (Newcastle University)
  • Understanding the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in UK reservoirs (2017-2021), NERC CDT in Oil and Gas studentship, Co-I; PI: Chris Greenwell (Durham University, UK); collaborators: Kislon Voitchovsky (Durham University), Ian Collins (BP)

Completed Grants

  • Antibacterial Clay Therapy (2019), Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University, grant co-written; PIs: Gary Sharples, Kim Jamie (Durham University, UK), full team: https://www.dur.ac.uk/ias/1920projects/sharples/
  • Biologically mediated abiotic degradation of chlorinated ethenes: A new conceptual framework (2015-2018), Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), US Department of Defense (DoD), US Department of Energy (DoE), and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Co-PI; PI: Michelle Scherer (University of Iowa, USA), Co-PIs: David Cwiertny, Drew Latta (University of Iowa, USA); Rula Deeb, Deepa Ghandi (Geosyntec Consultants, USA).
  • Cleaning water with mud: clay minerals producing reactive oxidizing species (2015-2017), EPSRC Bright IDEAS award, PI
  • Fe(II)-Fe(III) electron transfer at Fe-containing clay minerals and its effect on Hg(II) and Cr(VI) transformation (2011-2013), SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship (2011-2012), DGF Postdoctoral Fellowship (2012-2013), PI
  • Arsenic removal with composite iron matrix filters from Bangladesh (2011), Matching funds from the Eawag Discretionary Funds, grant co-written; PIs: Hug, S. J.; Kaegi, R.; Voegelin, A. (Eawag, Switzerland)
  • Factors affecting arsenic removal with SONO filters (2009-2011), Jeunes Chercheurs program, Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE); Cooperation Office Bangladesh, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), PI


Reviewer

Environmental Science & Technology, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Chemical Geology, Chemosphere, Clay Minerals, Clays and Clay Minerals

Teaching

Module Leader:

CEG8111 - Environmental Fate of Contaminants (2017-2020)

CEG8198 - MSc Project and Dissertation in Environmental Engineering

CEG8099 - Investigative Research Project (CivEng MEng)


Contributions to:

CEG3004 - Sustainable Engineering Systems Design Project

CEG3099 - Individual Project (CivEng BSc)

CEG8101 - Core Concepts in Environmental Engineering (2014-16)

CEG8106 - Pollution control engineering for groundwaters and surface waters (2017-2020)

CEG8106 - Groundwater Contamination and Remediation (2014-2017)

CEG8107 - Environmental Engineering for Developing Countries

CEG8113 - Environmental Engineering Design and Project Management

CEG8634 - Environmental Analytical Geochemistry (2016)

Publications