Biography

I, cand ing, BEng (equiv), PgC, MSc, PhD, CWEM, CEnv, CSci, CEng, FHEA, FIEMA, FCIWEM, FICE, Fellow of IWA, hold the Chair in Civil Engineering at the University of Salford.  I am the Director of the Civil Engineering Research Centre and have published two books and approximately 140 journal papers.  My main research areas are wetlands, sustainable drainage, biological filtration, water quality, storm water management and wastewater treatment.

The research output is available via high-quality peer-reviewed journal papers to a world-wide audience. The output is significant, because it scientifically justifies the proposed transformation of traditional urban and rural landscapes into sustainable and resilient environments. The proposed hybrid Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) systems such as the combined ground source heat pumps and permeable pavements represent the next generation of drainage systems. The original Sustainable Flood Retention Basins (SFRB) and Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICW) concepts address not just water quality and quantity problems, but integrate these systems also into the landscape, providing ecosystem services, and economic and social benefits at the same time.

The research undertaken by me and my team has been summarized in a Springer book published by me in 2010. The book is entitled ‘Wetland Systems - Storm Water Management Control’. The research has led to the incorporation of findings into national and international guidelines on wetland systems. The greatest impact has been made in the area of ICW in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.  I contributed to the design guidelines of wetland systems as a research consultant.