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Staff Profile

Professor Russell Davenport

Engineering for the Environment and Human Health

Background

Introduction

Throughout my education and career, I have always been fascinated by the diversity and metabolic capabilities of microbes that are critical to sustaining many vital natural processes on Earth, some of which can be enhanced or managed for the benefit of humanity. The services microorganisms can provide are especially pertinent given the increasing anthropogenic pressures on the Earth system that threaten both environmental and human well-being. These pressures include chemical and nutrient pollution that affects soils, sediments and the water environment.

My research has therefore focussed on understanding relationships between microorganisms and the processes that they mediate, using a combination of quantitative molecular tools and modelling in natural and engineered environments.  Such knowledge is critical for the prediction, management and mitigation of pollution in the environment, and naturally necessitates an interdisciplinary approach.  I have largely applied this approach to engineered treatment systems and to regulatory hazard classification/risk assessments for manufactured chemicals.

Background

I have extensive experience and expertise at the interface of environmental engineering, microbiology, and environmental risk assessment. 

After gaining a first degree in microbiology, I worked for two years as a process engineer with a subsidiary of Yorkshire Water specialising in industrial wastewater treatment, including high-rate anaerobic biological systems. I first moved to Newcastle to complete an MSc in Industrial Biotechnology.

I then joined the School of Civil Engineering & Geosciences as a postdoctoral member of staff in 2000 after completing my PhD; one of the first in the UK to take advantage of the newly emerging quantitative molecular tools to gain an improved understanding of biological wastewater treatment. I was subsequently awarded an EPSRC Research Associate Industrial Secondment to Brixham Environmental Laboratory, AstraZeneca where I was based during 2002, which started my interest in the role of biodegradation in the fate, ecotoxicology and regulation of chemicals. On returning to the School in 2003 I became a School Research Fellow and was awarded an RCUK Academic Fellowship in 2007.

More recently, I won an EPSRC Challenging Engineering award in 2011, which officially makes me a Challenging Engineer, although I think this sends out the wrong message; I prefer to think that my chosen engineering subject is challenging and not me! 

Roles and responsibilities

Member of the Health & Safety Committee

Biological Safety Officer

Environmental Engineering Research Web Co-ordinator

Qualifications

PhD Environmental Engineering, Dept. Civil Engineering (Newcastle University, 2000)

MSc (Distinction) Industrial Biotechnology, Dept. Microbiology (Newcastle University, 1994)

BSc (Hons) Microbiology (Leeds University, 1991)

Memberships

Member of the International Water Association
Member of the Society for Applied Microbiology

Industrial experience 

I have two years’ experience at Esmil, Yorkshire Water in consultancy; design, commissioning and monitoring of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), including upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors; and the project management of design and build schemes.

In the last 16 years, I have provided research and molecular microbial ecological analysis expertise to the environmental and water industries including; AstraZeneca, Northumbrian Water Ltd., Severn Trent Water, Thames Water and Yorkshire Water.

Research

Research Interests

Understanding the fate, especially biodegradation, of chemicals in natural environments and engineered biological treatment systems.

The development and application of molecular-based techniques for the quantification of bacteria, especially in relation to key functions.

The application of ecological theory, molecular measurement techniques and mathematical models to understand, predict and manipulate microbial communities in engineered treatment systems.

Esteem Indicators

Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College 

EPSRC Challenging Engineering Awardee (2011)

RCUK Academic Fellow (2007) 


Currently funded projects

Quantification of Wastewater Treatment Resilience Metrics

Understanding the biodegradability of biobased polymers

Teaching

CEG8104 MSc Wastewater Engineering (Module Leader) 

CEG8103 MSc Water Supply and Treatment (Contributor)

CEG3001 UG Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 3 (Contributor)

CEG8110 Project Skills and Professional Development (Contributor)

CEG8198 MSc Dissertation in Environmental Engineering (Contributor)


Publications