School of Geography
 

Image of Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

Contact

Biography

I am currently Associate Professor and Director of Research in the School of Geography. I was awarded a BSc Geography from the University of Nottingham in 2005, MSc Environmental Monitoring for Management from Loughborough University in 2006, and a PhD from Loughborough University in 2011.

My research interest is in understanding the interlinkages between hydrological, geomorphological and ecological processes and systems in rivers to inform more successful, and more sustainable, management of freshwaters.

Teaching Summary

My teaching reflects my research experience, being focused on river processes and management. My modules include field trips and laboratory work, as well as engagement with management practitioners… read more

Research Summary

I am interested in how aquatic organisms occupy, utilise and modify environments, working at the interface of hydrology, geomorphology and ecology.

A list of my academic outputs is available at my Google.Scholar page.

I am currently working on:

1) The ability of living organisms to alter physical processes, such as sediment transport, in rivers.

Living organisms can alter environments through their presence and activity, with implications for geomorphic and biochemical processes. I am interested in how invertebrate animals alter the flow of material through river systems, including the destabilisation of river beds and banks by the invasive signal crayfish (e.g. Article Link), which can also increase the transport of sediment through rivers (e.g.link). Organisms can also stabilise river substrates (e.g. Article Link) and alter the dynamics of sediment grains (e.g. Article Link).

2) The impacts of water quality and pollution on aquatic ecosystems.

I research pollutants in rivers, including the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in freshwater organisms (e.g. Article link), the presence of microplastics in rivers (e.g. Article Link) and the complex role of anthropogenic waste to aquatic communities (e.g. Article Link). I am particularly concerned with the sub-lethal impacts of pollutants on invertebrate organisms across multiple life stages (e.g Article Link).

Rising water temperature also has significant impacts on water quality and aquatic communities in rivers (e.g. Article link). I am working on how to identify and increase resilience of rivers to future warming (e.g. Article Link).

3) Better incorporation of ecological processes into river management frameworks.

My work is applied and I work with many partners in government, industry and charitable organisations. I am working on projects in the USA (e.g. Article link), China (e.g. Article link), Brazil (e.g. Article link) and UK (e.g. Article link) on novel river management schemes, which aim to better account for ecological processes in river management (e.g. Article Link)

School of Geography

Sir Clive Granger Building
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Contact us