Chair in Biological Sciences, Head of School of Biological Sciences
- About
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- Email Address
- g.i.paton@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273834
- Office Address
- Room 2.22 Cruickshank Building
- Room 2.12 Zoology Building
- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
External Memberships
- Director of QUADRAT-DTP
- Overview for new QUADRAT-DTP Supervisors
- Director - Remedios Limited
- Editorial Board for Soil Biology and Biochemistry
- Editorial Board for Water Air Soil Pollution
- Research
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Research Overview
I study the relationship between pollutant speciation and toxicity. This considers the fate and transformation of environmental pollutants. This is done through the use of analytical chemical tools to study organism responses to pollutants. I am also enthused by the application and comparison of ecotoxicity assays to various environmental sample. I also use general research skills in soil microbiology and biochemistry. Specific areas of interest are:
- Fate of inorganic/ organic pollutants in the environment
- Development of bioassays to assess environmental toxicity
- Chemical and biological techniques for environmental restoration
- Soil genesis and classification and linkage to soil biology
Research Areas
Research Specialisms
- Environmental Biotechnology
- Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Chemistry
- Soil Science
- Applied Environmental Sciences
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
Current Research Group
The current research group has several strands. Mostly the focus is on process level soil microbiology as a response to perturbations- mainly pollution. Biosensors are widely used to quantify and better understand these mpacts and to relate to the aspects of bioavailability. To an extent these enable sustainable solutions to be developed and bespoke risk assessment to be measured.
If you are interested in joining the group then have a think about the work that the current group and recently completed members have contributed.
Dr. Lenka Mbadugha complements the research team with her expertise in pollution monitoring, biosensor development and soil carbon dynamics.
Rosie Boyko has completed her PhD studying the link between soil pH management and sward quality with reference to Scotland and food security. Thnayan Alonaizi is studying soil-based enzymes to devise recolonisation techniques in impacted soils. This bioaugmentation work is a new twist of remediation work with hydrocarbons that we have done in the past. He is also transplanting functional biomes back into soils. Onome Omovie-Stephen is applying techniques for carbon fractionation to contrastingly managed soils to try and develop techniques to better sequester soil carbon. The great challenge is to understand carbon partitioning and links to function and availability.
Sapar Dossanov integrated approaches of risk and hazard assessment in current and historic metal mines. This work has been further enhanced by Sandra Arroyo Sanchez who has upskilled the use of SEM and applied the risk assessment/ human exposure/ model approaches to Mexico. Both successfully defended their PhD is Q1 of 2024- congratulations.
Alexander Kani is studying bioleaching of metal wastes as a process for elemental recovery in a sustainable manner. The focus is on critical elements and we have widened the scope from mine wastes to other matrices and are developing resin based systems for capture.
Christoph Gade studies elemental cycling of mercury with a focus on marine sources and fate but extends this to wider geochemical concepts. The driver here is to truth test models that have been established making use of specific analytical approaches. He has also established some effective and innovative ecotoxicological testing.
Rita Moussa is a Hydro-Nation student and works on anaerobic systems for the sustainable generation of methane and hopefully hydrogen.
Aftab Majeed studied urban ecology with respect to planning challenges from a quantitative basis. He also recently defended his PhD.
Former Members of the Research Group
Dr. Barry Nourice studied the fragile status of soils in the Seychelles.
Dr. Victor Igwe focussed on microbial processes in the production of bioethanols. This made use both of empirical and modelling approaches.
Dr. Amira Alzadjali developed new elemental specific biosensors to update the current suite used by the group in environmental diagnostics.
Dr. Abubakar Yuguda devised methods to apply mycorrhizal enhanced maize plants in the remediation of soils impacted with effluents from the tannery industry.
Dr. Chisom Agunwoke developed biosensors for soil and sediment remediation.
Dr. Mouza Al Mansouri studied sustainable water storage in Abu Dhabi where she works as the Director in Spatial Data Analysis at the Environment Agency.
Dr. Saad Dehlawi completed his research using chemical additives to enhance mobility and complexation of pollutants as a strategic technique for land and water remediation.
Dr. Chidinma Anunike used CaSx with a specific focus on the consideration of hexavalent chromium transformation.
Dr. Hedda Weitz, who developed a range of bacterial biosensors and the only effective fungal biolouminescence-based assay, oversees the smooth running of the microbial laboratory. Jamie Buckingham oversees the challenges of soils, environmental samples and chemical analysis within the group.
Here is a tour of the facilities
Collaborations
Prof. Kirk Semple, Lancaster University
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Course Co-Coordinator
- Land Use and the Changing Environment
- Publications
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Fugacity modelling to predict the distribution of organic contaminants in the soil: oil matrix of constructed biopiles
Chemosphere, vol. 71, no. 8, pp. 1432-1439Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.12.007
Physiological and toxicological characterization of an engineered whole-cell biosensor
Bioresource Technology, vol. 99, no. 4, pp. 714-721Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2007.01.041
Application of luminescent biosensors for monitoring the degradation and toxicity of BTEX compounds in soils
Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 141-151Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03552.x
Bioaugmentation of pentachlorophenol in soil and hydroponic systems
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 171-177Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2007.02.006
Importance of chemical structure on the development of hydrocarbon catabolism in soil
FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 272, no. 1, pp. 120-126Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00750.x
Prediction of PAH biodegradation in field contaminated soils using a cyclodextrin extraction technique
Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 516-522Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/b700720e
Rhizoremediation of pentachlorophenol by Sphingobium chlorophenolicum ATCC 39723
Chemosphere, vol. 68, no. 5, pp. 864-870Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.02.014
Microbe-aliphatic hydrocarbon interactions in soil: implications for biodegradation and bioremediation
Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 102, no. 5, pp. 1239-1253Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03401.x
Weathered hydrocarbon wastes: A risk management primer
Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 199-232Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380600819625
Application of biological indicators to assess recovery of hydrocarbon impacted soils
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 164-177Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SOILBIO.2006.06.020
Comparative evaluation of a bioluminescent bacterial assay in terrestrial ecotoxicity testing
Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 44-50Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/B613734B
The impact of sampling techniques on soil pore water carbon measurements of an Icelandic Histic Andosol
Science of the Total Environment, vol. 369, no. 1-3, pp. 203-219Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.01.012
Linking biosensor responses to Cd, Cu and Zn partitioning in soils
Environmental Pollution, vol. 142, no. 3, pp. 493-500Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2005.10.029
An ecotoxicity assessment of contaminated forest soils from the Kola Peninsula
Science of the Total Environment, vol. 355, no. 1-3, pp. 106-117Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.04.036
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
An evaluation of acid deposition on cation leaching and weathering rates of an Andosol and a Cambisol
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, vol. 88, pp. 279-283Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.08.056
Degradation and toxicity of phenyltin compounds in soil.
Environmental Pollution, vol. 144, pp. 746-751Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2006.02.024
Ecotoxicology: How can the effect of complex mixtures of pollutants be monitored in a harbour environment?
Marine Environmental Research, vol. 62, pp. S362-S363Contributions to Journals: ArticlesIdentification of environmental factors limiting plant uptake of metaldehyde seed treatments under field conditions
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 54, no. 10, pp. 3646-3650Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf060231a
The effect of soil solution chemistry on the weathering rate of a Histic Andosol
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, vol. 88, no. 1-3, pp. 321-324Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.08.067
Exploiting biosensor technology to support the remediation of BTEX-contaminated sites
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Biological tools for the assessment of contaminated land: applied soil ecotoxicity
Soil Use & Management, vol. 21, no. s2, pp. 487-499Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/SUM2005350
Fate of hydrophobic compounds in the soil environment
Soil Use & Management, vol. 21, pp. 475-486Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/SUM2005347
Comparison of different microbial bioassays to assess metal-contaminated soils
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 530-536Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1897/04-197R.1
Biosensor-based diagnostics of contaminated groundwater: assessment and remediation strategy.
Environmental Pollution, vol. 134, pp. 485-492Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2004.09.002
Cultivation-independent in situ molecular analysis of bacteria involved in degradation of pentachlorophenol in soil.
Environmental Microbiology, vol. 7, pp. 1349-1360Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00822.x
Effect of different temperatures on PAH extraction from soil by hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Prediction of [3-C-14] phenyldodecane biodegradation in cable insulating oil-spiked soil using selected extraction techniques
Environmental Pollution, vol. 138, pp. 316-323Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2005.03.009
Combined microbial community level and single species biosensor responses to monitor recovery of oil polluted soil
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 36, no. 7, pp. 1149-1159Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.02.025
Decontamination of drill cuttings and other waste material
Patents: PatentsAnalysis of organic pollutants in environmental samples
Soil and Environmental Analysis: Modern Instrumental Techniques, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded, pp. 515-542, 27 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersNon-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) for the prediction of naphthalene mineralisation in soil
FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 241, pp. 215-220Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.femsle.2004.10.023
The role of host organism, transcriptional switches and reporter mechanisms in the performance of Hg-induced biosensors
Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 97, pp. 1192-1200Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2004.02421.x
Antimony bioavailability in mine soils
Environmental Pollution, vol. 124, no. 1, pp. 93-100Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00411-6
Bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils: fundamental concepts and techniques for analysis
European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 54, pp. 809-818Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1351-0754.2003.0564.x
Limitations of a cosolvent for ecotoxicity testing of hydrophobic compounds
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 70, pp. 1-8Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-002-0148-9
Microbiological characterisation of a diesel contaminated beach site
Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 46, pp. 903-906Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00118-8
Non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) for bioavailability assessment of organic hydrophobic compounds in soils
Agronomie, vol. 23, pp. 755-756Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/agro:2003049
Predicting the activity of Cd2+ and Zn2+ in soil pore water from the radio-labile metal fraction
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 67, pp. 375-385Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(02)01138-9
Application of cellular and immuno biosensor techniques to assess herbicide toxicity in soils
European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 53, pp. 37-44Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.2002.00421.x
Assessment of bioavailable arsenic and copper in soils and desiments from the Antofagasta region of northern Chile
Science of the Total Environment, vol. 286, no. 1-3, pp. 51-59Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-9697(01)00962-7
Evaluation of interactive toxicity of chlorophenols in water and soil using lux-marked biosensors
Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 4, pp. 482-289Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/b202070j
Microbial communities in different soil types do not converge after diesel contamination
Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 92, pp. 276-288Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2002.01528.x
On-line microbial biosensing and fingerprinting of water pollutants
Biosensors & Bioelectronics, vol. 17, no. 6-7, pp. 495-501Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-5663(01)00321-9
Predicting arsenic solubility in contaminated soils using isotopic dilution techniques
Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 36, pp. 982-988Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/es0101633
The potential for anaerobic mineralisation of hydrocarbon constituents of oily drill cuttings from the North Sea seabed
Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 553-557Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/b203991p
Toxicity of the bacterial luciferase substrate, n-decyl aldehyde, to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans
FEBS Letters, vol. 506, no. 2, pp. 140-142Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDevelopment and application of bioluminescent Caenorhabditis elegans as multicellular eukaryotic biosensors
FEBS Letters, vol. 493, no. 1, pp. 36-39Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-5793(01)02271-2
A novel toxicity fingerprinting method for pollutant identification with lux-marked biosensors
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 20, pp. 2456-2461Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComparison of response of six different luminescent bacterial bioassays to bioremediation of five constraining soils
Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 3, pp. 404-410Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/b103104j
Development of QSARs to investigate the bacterial toxicity and biotransformation potential of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Chemosphere, vol. 42, pp. 885-892Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0045-6535(00)00178-8
