Dr Barbara Palumbo-Roe is a senior process geochemist at the BGS. She received her BSc in Geology, an MSc in Mineralogy and a PhD in Soil Trace Element Geochemistry from the University of Palermo, Italy. She joined BGS in 2000. As former BGS leader of the Abandoned Mine and Contaminated Land team, she has gained extensive experience in the use of integrated multidisciplinary approaches to site characterisation and hazard assessment of abandoned mine waste facilities. Her research interest as a process geochemist lies in the study of geochemical processes that affect the mobility and bioavailability of elements, especially traces, in a range of natural and contaminated systems, at different scales of observation and by coupling field-based and experimental-based approaches and geochemical modelling. Current research focus on the hyporheic zone aims to unravel the combined effects of geochemical reactions, dynamic hydrologic processes and riverbed mineralogy on water quality. Other research topics she is actively involved include "biomining and Critical Metals recovery from waste" and "hydrogeochemical challenges of shallow geothermal system exploitations".
Vanessa joined the British Geological Survey (BGS) after gaining a PhD in karst hydrogeology. This followed 15 years as an engineering geologist/ geotechnical engineer in consulting and contracting roles. Employed as a BGS research scientist (hydrogeology) to focus on abandoned mines, she now works across a broad range of disciplines. Her research interests include stratigraphical and hydrological influences on shallow geohazards; geohazard characterisation and development of conceptual ground models. As Team Leader for Shallow Geohazards and Risks (BGS), she contributes to UK resilience through: maintenance of national geohazard databases, susceptibility assessments, responsive reporting and contributing to the Natural Hazard Partnership. In Sept 2016 she contributed to a European Civil Protection response to salt mine related sinkholes in Solotvyno, Ukraine. A Co-Investigator on a Malaysia-UK Research and Innovation Bridges project: Disaster Resilient Cities: Forecasting local level climate extremes and physical hazards for Kuala Lumpur, she is investigating the karst challenges.
Dr Andrew Tye is a senior Process Geochemist / Soil Scientist at the BGS, as well as leading the Soils team for the past three years. He joined BGS in 2003, after 7 years as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Nottingham, where he worked on modelling the solubility of heavy metals in soils, using the isotopically exchangeable pool of metals. In addition he worked on a project examining the release and fate of nitrogen released from the snowpack in tundra on Spitsbergen. More recent research has focused on Phosphorus speciation in river sediments and the transfer of carbon from the terrestrial surface to the oceans via river systems (LOCATE). Current projects are focused on soil-water interactions. In the UK, he leads work designed to assess the impact and interactions of soil and ground water and their possible role in explaining the yield gap in crops (ASSIST). In a project with colleagues from the UK, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi he contributes to work assessing soil moisture under conservation agriculture practices.