John is an environmental scientist specialising in fluvial geomorphology and fine sediment dynamics. His academic research focused on understanding how sediment, pollutants, microorganisms and flow dynamics interact to influence the quality and health of rivers and estuaries. During his PhD, he developed a novel imaging technique to visualise the complex, multi-scale properties of river sediment aggregates known as ‘flocs’. As a post-doctoral research associate, he was involved in the 3DFLOCS project, which utilised the techniques developed during his PhD along with numerical modelling to answer how the physical properties of flocs affect their hydrodynamic behaviour and eventual fate.
John previously worked at the River Restoration Centre, where he now provides advice on best practice river management. While at the RRC, he was involved in a project funded by the World Bank that aimed to characterise the hydromorphological condition of all rivers and lakes in Bulgaria, required for compliance with the Water Framework Directive. John was also engaged in several projects related to citizen science. This included an EU Horizon 2020-funded project – ‘Measuring the impact of citizen science (MICS)’ – which sought to investigate and improve the impact of community-focused initiatives to better support the delivery of nature-based solutions.
