Helen West

Contact

• workRoom C28 Gateway Building
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• work0115 951 6268
• fax0115 951 6261
• helen.west@nottingham.ac.uk
• http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/biosciences/people/helen.west

Biography

Helen is an Associate Professor in Environmental Biology. Her research interests focus on impacts of anthropogenic perturbations on ecological interactions in soil, plant and invertebrate systems.

She has worked on a range of natural and managed assemblages; e.g. contaminated cropland (BBSRC-Link Programme), arctic tundra (NERC GANE Programme), Chinese farming systems (NERC ESPA project; Farmer Innovation Systems in the Loess Plateau, NE/G008280/1), UK beef and dairy farms (Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, 08-3376) and Bangladesh agricultural systems (British Council, INSPIRE SP/112).

Current interests include evaluation (sustainability, ecotoxicology and efficacy) of established and novel wastes derived from sustainable energy systems, effects of animal manures on antibiotic resistance in the soil and nitrogen use efficiency in UK and Brazilian agricultural systems.

Teaching Summary

My teaching interests reflect my research interests: Modules are listed:

Environmental Biotechnology (C136E6)

Writing & Reviewing Research Proposals (C14300 and C14301)

Ecology of Natural and Managed Ecosystems (D211E5)

Dissertation in Environmental Science (C11BE1)

Soil Science (C123E3)

Contemporary Agricultural Systems (D212A2)

BSc Research Project in Environmental Science (D23BE1)

BSc Undergraduate Research Project (D23PRO)

MSci Research Project in Environmental Science (D24BE1)

Research & Professional Skills for Environmental Scientists (D224E5)

Professional Skills for Bioscientists (D224G1)

Research Summary

Current and ongoing research projects (grant funded) include:

EVAL-FARMS: Evaluating the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Manures and Slurries. (NERC funded, NE/N019881/1; £1.5M; Helen is leader for the impacts of slurries on soil WP; overall PI is Dov Stekel.)

NUCLEUS: A virtual joint centre to deliver enhanced Nitrogen Use Efficiency via an Integrated Soil-plant Systems Approach for the UK & Brasil. (BBSRC/Newton Fund; BB/N013204/1; £1.3M, PI is Sacha Mooney; Helen is a Co-I.)

Rural Hybrid Energy Enterprise Systems (RHEES) (RCUK-DST; EP/J000361/1). Helen is PI for the Wastes & Residues work-package, £417K. (The full UK grant is £2.7M; lead PI is Michèle Clarke.)

Renewable energy from animal wastes: Benefits for agriculture and society. (British Council Inspire; Project Ref. SP-02; PI.)

Optimising Phosphate Recovery from Community Bioenergy Systems: Low Cost Sustainable Fertiliser Production for Rural Communities. (UKIERI-UGC Thematic Award, UGC86; Co-I.)

Evaluating the potential of bioenergy from weeds. (British Council Pakistan Knowledge Economy Partnership, KEP-039; Co-I.)

Projects coming to a close include:

Options for the Use of Quality Digestates in Horticulture and other New Markets (WRAP, OMK006-007; PI).

Monitoring Farm and Regional Scale Effects of Anthelmintics (Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, 8-3376; PI).

High Throughput Analysis of Cell Growth Data from Phenotype Arrays (BBSRC, BB/J01558X/1; Co-I).

Novel strategies for the recovery of deforested and degraded landscapes in the Amazon region: Sustainable solutions for energy-food-water services. (Newton Fund Brazil EPSRC-CONFAP; Co-I).

Implication of enhanced ecological intensification and resilience for smallholder farming in the Eastern Amazonia region (Newton Fund Brazil BBSRC-CONFAP; Co-I).

Sustainable Soil Management for Improved Food Security and Bioenergy Delivery - International Partnering (with Brazil). (BBSRC, BB/J019933/1; Co-I).

Adaptations to Climate Change: Food Security, Water Resources and Rural Resilience in Western Bangladesh. (British Council, INSPIRE SP/112; Co-I.)

Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, Livelihood Security and Conservation of Tropical Peatland in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. (British Council Higher Education Research Partnership Award; Co-I.)

Current PhD projects and students:

Alexander Williams - Antibiotic resistance on the farm: Evaluating the risks to soil, crop and human health. (STARS CDT funded; joint project with JHI; Helen is UoN lead supervisor, Lisa Avery is JHI lead supervisor.)

Joseph Palmer - Clostridium in agricultural soils. (Funded by a joint JHI/UoN Scholarship - Helen is UoN lead supervisor; Lisa Avery is JHI lead supervisor.)

Kathryn (Rosie) Brian - Adsorption/desorption kinetics of phosphate in biochars. (BBSRC DTP funded. Lead supervisor.)

Hilda Sanga - Agricultural uses for fly-ash. (Funded by the Commonwealth Commission and a Vice Chancellors (UoN) Scholarship - co-supervisor.)

Jamal Algraeo - Biogas production from agricultural weeds. (Funded by the Libyan Government - lead supervisor.)

William Hawley - Assessment of control measures to reduce contamination of anaerobic digestate from manures. (Funded by the Food & Environment Research Agency (FERA) and BBSRC - lead supervisor).

Asilah Mutalib - Effects of biochar on efficiency of plant-growth promoting microbes. (Funded by the Malaysian Government - lead supervisor.)

Sumyya Razzaq - The influence of biochar on interactions between plants and soil associates (Funded by the Islamic Development Bank - lead supervisor.)

Selected Publications

• MARTIN, S.L, MOONEY, S.J., DICKINSON, M.J. and WEST, H.M., 2012. Soil structural responses to alterations in soil microbiota induced by the dilution method and mycorrhizal fungal inoculation Pedobiologia. 55(5), 271-281
• MARTIN, S.L., MOONEY, S.J., DICKINSON, M.J. and WEST, H.M., 2012. The effects of simultaneous root colonisation by three Glomus species on soil pore characteristics. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 49, 167-173
• WEST, H.M. and TRACY, S., 2009. The veterinary drug ivermectin influences immune response in the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria). Environmental Pollution. 157(3), 955-958
• SJOGERSTEN, S., ATKIN, C., CLARKE, M.L., MOONEY, S.J., WU, B. and WEST, H.M., 2013. Responses to climate change and farming policies by rural communities in northern China: a report on field observation and farmers' perception in dryland north Shaanxi and Ningxia Land Use Policy. 32, 125-133

• View all publications

Helen is an honorary Research Supervisor for MSc Biotechnology Research Students (two years by research) at BSMRA University, Gazipur, Bangladesh (October 2012 to date).

Helen has given several public lectures and contributes to the AgriFood Advanced Training Partnership Continuing Professional Development Course at Cranfield University.

• MOSSA, A.W., DICKINSON, M.J., WEST, H.M., YOUNG, S.D. and CROUT, N.M., 2017. The response of soil microbial diversity and abundance to long-term application of biosolids. Environmental Pollution. 224, 16-25
• KATAKI, S., WEST, H.M., CLARKE, M.L. and BARUAH, D.C., 2016. Phosphorus recovery as struvite: recent concerns for use of seed, alternative Mg source, nitrogen conservation and fertilizer potential. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 107, 142-156
• KATAKI, S., WEST, H.M., CLARKE, M.L. and BARUAH, D.C., 2016. Phosphorus recovery as struvite from farm, municipal and industrial waste: feedstock suitability, methods and pre-treatments Waste Management. 49, 437-454
• ANSARY M.W.R., HAQUE E., WEST H.M., RAHMAN M.M., AKANDA A.M., WANG Y. and ISLAM M.T., 2016. Medicinal plant extracts and protein kinase C inhibitor suppress zoosporogenesis and impair motility of Phytophthora capsici zoospores. Plant Protection Science. 52, 113-122
• ASAD, S.A., MUHAMMAD, S., FAROOQ, M., AFZAL, A., BROADLEY, M., YOUNG, S. and WEST, H., 2015. Anthocyanin production in the hyperaccumulator plant Noccaea caerulescens in response to herbivory and zinc stress. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 37(1), 1715
• ASAD, S.A., YOUNG S.D. and WEST, H.M., 2015. Effect of zinc and glucosinolates on nutritional quality of Noccaea caerulescens and infestation by Aleyrodes proletella. Science of the Total Environment. 511, 21-27
• SIKDER, S., FOULKES, J, WEST, H., DE SILVA, J., GAJU, O., GREENLAND, A. and HOWELL, P., 2015. Evaluation of photosynthetic potential of wheat genotypes under drought condition. Photosynthetica. 53(1), 47-54
• MARTIN, S.L., CLARKE, M.L., OTHMAN, M., RAMSDEN, S.J. and WEST, H.M., 2015. Biochar-mediated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from soil amended with anaerobic digestates. Biomass and Bioenergy. 79, 39-49
• C. HALL, D.J. LARGE, B. ADDERLEY and H.M. WEST, 2014. Calcium leaching from waste steelmaking slag: Significance of leachate chemistry and effects on slag grain mineralogy. Minerals Engineering. 65, 156-162
• HALL, C., LARGE, D.J., ADDERLEY, B. and WEST, H.M., 2014. Microalgae at an integrated steelmaking site: Treated cokemaking effluent as a water and nitrogen nutrition source. In: 22nd European Biomass Conference, Hamburg. 145-149
• SJOGERSTEN, S., ATKIN, C., CLARKE, M.L., MOONEY, S.J., WU, B. and WEST, H.M., 2013. Responses to climate change and farming policies by rural communities in northern China: a report on field observation and farmers' perception in dryland north Shaanxi and Ningxia Land Use Policy. 32, 125-133
• ASAD, S.A., YOUNG, S. and WEST, H., 2013. Effect of nickel and cadmium on glucosinolate production in Thlaspi caerulescens. Pakistan Journal of Botany. 45(1), 495-500
• MARTIN, S.L., MOONEY, S.J., DICKINSON, M.J. and WEST, H.M., 2012. The effects of simultaneous root colonisation by three Glomus species on soil pore characteristics. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 49, 167-173
• MARTIN, S.L, MOONEY, S.J., DICKINSON, M.J. and WEST, H.M., 2012. Soil structural responses to alterations in soil microbiota induced by the dilution method and mycorrhizal fungal inoculation Pedobiologia. 55(5), 271-281
• WEST, H.M. and TRACY, S., 2009. The veterinary drug ivermectin influences immune response in the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria). Environmental Pollution. 157(3), 955-958
• MAXTED A.P, BLACK C.R, WEST H.M, CROUT N.M.J and MCGRATH S.P. AND YOUNG S.D., 2007. Phytoextraction of cadmium and zinc in arable soils amended with sewage sludge using Thlaspi caerulescens: development of a predictive model Environmental Pollution. 150, 363-372
• MAXTED A.P, BLACK C.R, WEST H.M, CROUT N.M.J and MCGRATH S.P. AND YOUNG S.D., 2007. Phytoextraction of cadmium and zinc by Salix from soil historically contaminated with sewage sludge Plant and Soil. 290, 157-172
• STAPLETON, L.M, LAYBOURN-PARRY, J, POULTON, P.R, TYE, A.M, WEST, H.M and YOUNG, S.D. AND CROUT, N.M.J., 2006. Parsimonious modelling of nutrient fluxes for a terrestrial ecosystem on Svalbard. Biogeochemistry. 80, 57 - 69
• TYE, A.M., YOUNG, S.D., CROUT, N.M.J., WEST, H.M., STAPLETON, L.M., POULTON, P.R. and LAYBOURN-PARRY, J., 2005. The fate of 15N added to high Arctic tundra to mimic increased inputs of atmospheric nitrogen released from a melting snowpack Global Change Biology. 11(10), 1640-1654
• HUTCHINSON, J.J., YOUNG, S.D., BLACK, C.R. and WEST, H.M, 2004. Determining uptake of radio-labile soil cadmium by arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae using isotopic dilution in a compartmented-pot system New Phytologist. 164(3), 477-484
• AVERY, L.M., THORPE, P.C., THOMPSON, K., PAUL, N.D., GRIME, J.P. and WEST, H.M., 2004. Physical disturbance of an upland grassland influences the impact of elevated UV-B radiation on metabolic profiles of below-ground micro-organisms Global Change Biology. 10(7), 1146-1154
• JONES, H.E., WEST, H.M., CHAMBERLAIN, P.M, PAREKH, N.R., BERESFORD, N.A. and CROUT, N.M.J., 2004. Effects of gamma radiation on Holcus lanatus (Yorkshire Fog grass) and associated soil microorganisms. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. 74(1-3), 57-71
• AVERY, L.M., LEWIS-SMITH, R.I. and WEST, H.M., 2003. Response of rhizosphere microbial communities associated with Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctic). Polar Biology. 26(8), 525-529
• JONES, H.E., WEST, H.M., CROUT, N.M.J., PAREKH, N.R. and BERESFORD, N.A., 2002. Impact of radiation on a soil ecosystem. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Radioactivity in the Environment.. 57-60
• MAXTED, A.P., YOUNG, S.D., BLACK, C.R., WEST, H.M. and MCGRATH, S.P., 2001. Chemically enhanced phytoextraction of heavy metals by maize (Zea mays) from contaminated soils. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements.. 134
• HUTCHINSON, J. J., YOUNG, S. D., MCGRATH, S. P., WEST, H. M., BLACK, C. R. and BAKER, A. J. M., 2000. Determining uptake of `non-labile' soil cadmium by Thlaspi caerulescens using isotopic dilution techniques New Phytologist. VOL 146(PART 3), 453-460
• HUTCHINSON, J. J., YOUNG, S. D., MCGRATH, S. P., WEST, H. M., BLACK, C. R. and BAKER, A. J. M., 2000. Assessing the bioavailability of cadmium to the hyperaccumulator thlaspi caerulescens using isotopic dilution CONTAMINATED SOIL -CONFERENCE-. 7TH(VOL.1), 264-265
• WEST, H., 1997. Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and foliar pathogens: consequences for host and pathogen.. In: GANGE, A.C. and BROWN, V.K., eds., Terrestrial Systems Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne. 79-89
• WEST, H. M., 1996. Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal infection on competition between Holcus lanatus and Dactylis glomerata Journal of Ecology. VOL 84(NUMBER 3), 429-438
• WEST, H.M., 1995. Soil phosphate status modifies the response of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Senecio vulgaris L. to infection by the rust, Puccinia lagenophorae Cooke. New Phytologist. 129, 107-116
• WEST, H.M., 1995. Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizas and biotrophic foliar pathogens: physiological consequences for the host. Aspects of Applied Biology. 42, 185-193
• NEWSHAM, K.K., WATKINSON, A.R., WEST, H.M. and FITTER, A.H., 1995. Symbiotic fungi determine plant community structure: changes in a lichen-rich community induced by fungicide application. Functional Ecology. 9, 442-447
• GANGE, A.C. and WEST, H.M., 1994. Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and foliar-feeding insects in Plantago lanceolata L. New Phytologist. 128, 79-87
• WEST, H.M., FITTER, A.H. and WATKINSON, A.R., 1993. Response of Vulpia ciliata ssp. ambigua to removal of mycorrhizal infection and to phosphate application under field conditions. Journal of Ecology. 81, 351-358
• AYRES, P.G. and WEST, H.M., 1993. Stress responses to pathogenic and mutualistic fungi.. In: FOWDEN, L., MANSFIELD, T. and STODDART, J., eds., Plant Adaptation to Environmental Stress Chapman & Hall, London. 295-311
• WEST, H.M., FITTER, A.H. and WATKINSON, A.R., 1993. The influence of three biocides on the fungal associates of the roots of Vulpia ciliata ssp. ambigua under natural conditions. Journal of Ecology. 81, 345-350
• WEST, H.M. and WALTERS, D.R., 1991. Polyamine uptake by the plant pathogenic fungus, Fusarium culmorum. Mycological Research. 95, 715-719
• WEST, H.M. and WALTERS, D.R., 1990. Uptake of the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor alpha-difluoromethylornithine by the plant pathogenic fungus, Fusarium culmorum. Mycological Research. 95, 621-623 (In Press.)
• WEST, H.M. and WALTERS, D.R., 1989. Effects of polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors on growth of Pyrenophora teres, Gaeumannomyces graminis, Fusarium culmorum and Septoria nodorum in vitro. Mycological Research. 92, 453-457
• WEST, H.M. and WALTERS, D.R., 1988. Novel control of fungal plant diseases using inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis. Crop Research. 28, 98-108
• WEST, H.M. and WALTERS, D.R., 1988. The effect of polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors on infection of Hordeum vulgare L. by Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei Marchal. New Phytologist. 110, 193-200