ERC-funded Postdoc

 

Biography

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Prior to beginning my postdoc within the Lehtovirta-Morley lab, I was a PhD student at Cranfield University from 2022 until 2025 conducting research within the agricultural science sector on Net Zero cropping systems with a focus on linseed. My thesis was titled ‘Net Zero Crops: Best management practices for greenhouse gas flux mitigation in linseed’. Before my PhD, I completed my undergraduate and master’s degree at the University of Warwick in Biological Sciences, with a focus on environmental and climate science. My previous work has consistently combined field and glasshouse experimental data with modelling systems to determine greenhouse gas emission outputs. Throughout my time in academia and education, I have consistently been interested in reducing excessive fertiliser application in cropping systems, thus optimising crop management practices and reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. 

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Soil nitrification is a vital biological process and part of the nitrogen cycle whereby ammonia (NH3) or ammonium (NH4+) are oxidised to nitrite (NO2-) and then to nitrate (NO3-) by soil microorganisms. These microorganisms are ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) and nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB). There are numerous factors which influence nitrification rates, including soil oxygen levels, soil pH, temperature, soil moisture, ammonia availability (such as from fertiliser or decomposition of organic matter), soil texture and structure, organic matter and carbon availability, inhibitors (natural and synthetic), soil salinity and management practices. Therefore, soil nitrification rates are intrinsically entwinned with fertiliser application rates and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. My research aims to incorporate these factors together to construct robust computational model systems to determine the nitrification rates of soil and croplands.