I think my career just peaked

Still time to apply for this #NERC funded #PhD on #biosolids and #biochar. Please forward to anyone who might be interested. They can email me ([email protected]) for details. Funding is for UK nationals only I'm afraid. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Great to hear "A life without worms" broadcast last week on BBC Radio4 with Alan Davies and Sandra Salazar D’eca from go-grow.org.uk/our-story/ What would happen if #earthworms disappeared? You can find out here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Good to chat #earthworms and #flooding with Michael Berenbrink, Kristian Daly, Megan Klaar, Qiuyu Zhu and Ben Pile today as part of our #Leverhulme Trust funded project - Sink or Swim

Tonight's "Worm moon" - so called as it's the first moon of Spring and is supposed to mark the time when earthworms become active again after the colder winter months. The earthworms that we've been sampling obviously haven't read the script!

A final #NERC #funded #PhD project to advertise - this one asks the question: How will #earthworms survive as #droughts become increasingly common with a changing climate. Please DM me if interested and circulate to possible candidates. More info. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

And another #NERC funded #PhD that I'm involved with - this one led out of @UK_CEH and Sam Harrison that involves comparing #regenerative agriculture and #conventional #farming. Details are here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Another #PhD project, this one led by Ellie Harrison at Sheffield Uni focussing on #legumes, #rhizobia, horizontal gene transfer and, of course, #earthworms www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Does converting #biosolids to #biochar maintain their benefits as a #soil amendment whilst minimising any residual risk due to #contaminants? We are recruiting to a #NERC Ecosolutions #PhD. Please share and DM me for more information if interested. shorturl.at/ldwVW

Great to see Xiao Xiao at University of York for graduation for her PhD yesterday. You can find her thesis papers on #earthworms #microplastics and #cadmium at www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... and www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Kids are growing up with climate change, but aren't learning about it in school! 🤯 Let's demand climate education for every UK child. Sign the petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/te...

Congrats to Zheng Fang on his latest PhD paper. This one shows that #microplastics can reduce the toxicity of salinity to #earthworms and that salinity is a more significant environmental challenge to earthworms than microplastics. authors.elsevier.com/c/1lEy415DSl...

#postdoc #job opportunity for a #hydrological #modeller working with Dr Megan Klaar, River Basin Processes and Management research group at University of Leeds as part of our #earthworms and #flooding @leverhulme.ac.uk funded project. Job details are at: jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Celebratory post-viva beers celebrating with James MacDonald of Queen Mary together with internal Andrew Leitch and supervisors @anneropiquet.bsky.social and Huw Jones. James' biogeochemical adventure continues next month when he starts at Bristol working with Penny Johnes

#job for a Technician in the Biology dept at the University of York and working with myself at @uoyenvironment.bsky.social on projects to improve nutrient retention, water retention, and carbon sequestration in soils: gathering and analysing data. Apply by 30/3/2025. jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/tech...

Latest NERC rejection in. Any thoughts on who might fund research into mechanisms by which #earthworms boost #plant growth as a follow up to this study www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... and as a means to identify methods to try and reduce fertiliser inputs welcome!

A good days sampling on the River Swale floodplain with #EcoWild PGR Mahmuda Islam

Cool PhD project combatting soil erosion in Ethiopia with indigenous agricultural plants. Funded by @ukri.org QUARTILES DLA and complementary to a couple new projects with Ethiopian scientists funded by REDAA and GCBC so you will be surrounded by a team. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

First paper of the year out today - 2nd paper from Xiao Xiao's PhD. We show that natural weathering of #microplastics increases potential sorption of Cd to them, that #biofilm development is important in this and that PLA (a biodegradable plastic) is more sorptive than PE.

Job Alert - a 1 year PDRA position as part of our LeverhulmeTrust funded #earthworm project "Sink or Swim" is available working with Dr Michael Berenbrink, University of Liverpool investigating haemoglobin levels in earthworms. Closing date-31st Jan 2025 my.corehr.com/pls/ulivrecr...

Still not quite ready for the holidays to end!

Congrats to Sammani Ramanayaka of Lancaster Environment Centre for successfully defending her thesis on impacts of #microplastics and plasticisers on soil microbia with myself and @john-quinton.bsky.social examining. In all the excitement I forgot to take a photo so here's a party popper instead!

Couldn't make it to #BES2024 but we had a busy day using all eight hours of daylight (and a final sample supplemented by torch light) sampling with Ben at Church Farm AHDB / ADAS legume and compost trials to try and boost #earthworm populations. Here's Ben with an earthworm for scale.

Off sampling tomorrow for #earthworms in water logged soils as part of our @LeverhulmeTrust funded earthworms and #flooding project. Mustard tin for scale?

Lake Tadcaster now back - will be interesting to re-survey the #earthworms once the #flooding recedes as part of our @LeverhulmeTrust project on #earthworms, #flooding and #climate change.

Please share with potentially interested students-I am advertising a #PhD studying #earthworms and #drought. Full advert here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project... There is a webinar at 1400 UK time on Tues 3rd Dec. for interested applicants. Register via this form docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Congrats to Jianting Feng from @LeedsUniCivil for a good defence on his thesis on metal speciation in sewage sludge on Wednesday. Really enjoyable viva with Jianting and Miller Camargo-Valero. Thesis papers already available link.springer.com/article/10.1... link.springer.com/article/10.1...

And so they were

Evidence of #earthworms - we know you're in there

Back from a full day of #earthworm sampling near Skegness. 24 pits dug and sorted in a day with some daylight left. My back is feeling quite sore

How do you identify earthworms? In the UK we are lucky in that most ID can be done from external features. A lot of the ID is to related to counting the segments that a feature appears on, with the type of head, shape of the tubercula pubertatis and setae spacing also important. #earthworms

Delighted to chat to ffinlo last week about our new @LeverhulmeTrust funded project on #earthworms and #flooding. You can watch the interview at 8point9.com/professor-ma...

Cuts to science spending could see UKRI awarding no new grants next year - as so much of their annual budget is already committed www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

I just found out that Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN) has been put on hold by Clarivate Web of Science. This means that concerns have been raised about its quality (I’m not shocked…) and that new articles will not be included in the database. This is big. mjl.clarivate.com/search-results

Back from a sunny day checking out sampling sites for our new #Leverhulme project "Sink or Swim" about #earthworms and #flooding. Ben is sampling on the floor of "Lake Tadcaster" next to the John Smith's brewery. Users of the A64 in the UK will know the field and be amazed it wasn't under water.

Congrats to Xiao Xiao - first PhD paper on #microplastic and #earthworms published 2 days pre-viva. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... MPs adsorb Cd in soil, reducing Cd concentration in soil pore water thereby reducing Cd uptake by earthworms. Biodegradable PLA more sorbtive than PE.

last day to apply for this exciting #postdoc position working on #earthworms and #flooding

Come and work with us at University of York on an exciting, multi-institution two year Leverhulme Trust funded project looking at the impact of #flooding on #earthworms #job #postdoc #SoilHealth See jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/rese... for details or email me direct [email protected]

Exciting #PhD #funded opportunity with [email protected], [email protected] and myself dealing with #minerals #AMR #antibioticresistance though sadly only for UK citizens. Email [email protected] or look at the add on findaphd.com. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Latest (open access) take on academic publishing www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...