Address: Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW

Email:  d.jones@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: 07827 807516 (UK) and 00 44 1248 382579 (International)

Researchgate profile; Google scholar profile; Twitter feed; Web of Science ResearcherID: C-7411-2011

Background

Davey Jones holds a Professorial Chair in Environmental Science and Public Health at Bangor University. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow held jointly between Cornell University and the US Department of Agriculture in the USA (with Prof Leon Kochian). He also carried out postdoctoral work under Prof Simon Gilroy at Penn State University (now Madison, WI).  A major focus of his research is on understanding below-ground processes with specific focus on nutrients and human pathogen behavior in water-food-soil-plant-microbial systems. His research portfolio is quite broad - reflecting his interests from natural sciences through to social sciences (i.e. science linked to changing human behaviour).

Current applications of his work include (1) the implementation of strategies for controlling viral pathogens such as Norovirus and Influenza in urban, agricultural, freshwater and marine ecosystems, (2) understanding the flow and control of antimicrobial resistance in a One Health context, (3) promoting carbon sequestration in agricultural systems and understanding the factors regulating carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions, (4) developing ways to improve nutrient use efficiency in cropping systems with specific focus on nitrogen and phosphorus, (5) microplastic pollution, (6) soil microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning, and (7) the impact of flooding, drought and ozone on ecosystem functioning (including tipping points) and potential strategies to enhance ecosystem resilience.

He has published more than 714 ISI-listed scientific journal articles (ISI H-index = 105; ISI >45,700 citations; Google Scholar H-index = 129, >71,300 citations). 

He has advised UK and Welsh Government on their COVID-19, public health, agriculture, waste and climate change policies. His research is funded via UKRI (NERC, EPSRC, BBSRC), Welsh Government, DHSC, UKHSA, Food Standards Agency, DEFRA and the European Union. He was a member of the SAGE COVID-19 sub-committee 'Transmission of Covid-19 in the Wider Environment Group (TWEG)' and was head of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Group - Environment (TAG-E) for Welsh Government and reported to the UK Government COVID-19 Public Inquiry. He also collaborates with industry to deliver novel solutions to environmental problems and improve product sustainability. He currently leads the 'Wastewater-based public health surveillance programme for Wales' and sits on the UKWIR Substances of Emerging Concern Advisory Group (SECAG).

Responsibilities within Bangor University

• Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research
• School (SENS) Management Committee Member
• School (SENS) Research Committee Member
• School (SENS) Henfaes Committee: Research
• School (SENS) Radiation Protection Officer
• Centre for Environmental Biotechnology: Science Lead

Current and past external responsibilities:

• COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group (Welsh Government)
• SAGE sub-committee on COVID-19 and the environment (UK Government)
• BBSRC Panel Member
• NERC College Member
• Welsh Government Land Use and Climate Change Group Member
• Editorial Board Soil Ecology Letters
• Chief Editor Frontiers in Soil Science
• Associate Editor Frontiers in Agronomy
• Associate Editor with Rhizosphere
• Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists
• Training manager for the STARS College of Doctoral Training in Soil Science
• Adjunct Professor at Clemson University
• Member of the Substances of Emerging Concern Advisory Group (SECAG)

Qualifications and Membership of Professional Bodies

• B.Sc. (Hons), Soil Science, University of Aberdeen
• Ph.D, Plant Science, University of Oxford
• Member of the British Society of Soil Science
• Member of the International Fertiliser Society 

Prizes and Awards

• NERC Impact Award Overall Winner 2023
• Queen's Anniversary Prize Winner 2023
• Water Industry Awards Innovation Finalist 2023
• Institute of Water Innovations Award Winner 2022
• Institute of Water Welsh Area Social & Innovation Award Winner 2022
• ISI Highly Cited Award 2018-2024 (Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Agricultural Sciences - 2024, Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Environment and Ecology - 2024).

Films

• Documentary on the soils of Tenerife 
• Documentary on Soil Quality 
• Film on our public health research  

Music 

• Mystery Train (Acoustic, featuring Davey Jones) - YouTube

Key topics 

Plant-soil-microbe interactions, Environmental pollution, Human Pathogens (especially viruses), Antimicrobial resistance, Dissolved Organic mitrogen, Soil quality, Freshwater and marine pollution, Water quality, Crop Science, Greenhouse gas emissions, Agronomy and modelling, Social behaviour and environmental issues.

My research project websites

• COVID-19 surveillance and human pathogenic organisms in the environment: (http://www.viraqua.uk/ and https://wastewatersurveillance.com/)
• EPSRC Digital Health Hub for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

• QUANTUM: Quantifying the combined nutrient enrichment, pathogenic, and ecotoxicological impacts of livestock farming on UK rivers

• Soil Science PhD training programme: http://www.starsoil.org.uk/
• Flooded soil project: http://agrisoils.bangor.ac.uk/index.php.en
• Climate extreme project: http://www.nrn-lcee.ac.uk/climate-smart-grass/
• GCRF agricultural plastics project: https://www.gcrf-agriplastics.uk/
• Plastic vectors project: https://plasticvectors.stir.ac.uk/
• Biochar GHG Demonstrator project: https://biochardemonstrator.ac.uk/
• Peatland GHG Demonstrator Project: https://www.ggrpeat.org/
• PATH-SAFE (partner in the FSA project): https://www.food.gov.uk/our-work/pathogen-surveillance-in-agriculture-food-and-environment-programme
• Freshwater DOC project:  www.nerc-domaine.uk/
• The Glastir Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (GMEP): https://gmep.wales/
• Researchgate profile: www.researchgate.net/profile/Davey_Jones
• Boreal forest nitrogen cycling (http://borealngap.weebly.com)
• Uplands N₂O: http://uplands-n2o.bangor.ac.uk/

These are the courses I am module organiser for:

• DXX-3305 Tenerife overseas field course (TOFC)

I also contribute to these modules:

Undergraduate level

• DXX-1001 Ecosystems Function & Services (EFC)
• DXX-1000 Academic Tutorials and Key Skills (ATKS)
• DXX-3701 Honours Research Project (HRP)

Masters Level

• DXX-4505 Natural Resource Management (NRM)
• DDL-4999 MSc Dissertation

PhD Level

• Overseas soil field course to the Canary Islands
• Soil Quality Training Course

These are the PhD and Masters students I have or currently helped supervise in the period 2021-2024

Katy Lambert-Slosarka (Environmental virology) Masters (completed)

Siyang Ren (Microplastic pollution) PhD

Zoe Shaw (Microplastic pollution) Masters (completed)

Martine Graf (Microplastic pollution) PhD 

Martin Samphire (Microplastic pollution) PhD 

Igor Pantea (Environmental virology) Masters (completed)

Sam Musarika (Greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands) PhD (completed)

Deniz Arslan (Organo-mineral fertilisers) Masters with industry (completed)

Emma Withers (Greenhouse gas emissions, extreme events, plastics) PhD

Ize Adave (Composting for agriculture) PhD

Gupeng Li (Microplastic pollution) PhD

Marya Fareed (Microplastic pollution) PhD

Ben Freeman (Sustainable peatlands) PhD (completed)

Yusra Zireeni (Animal waste management) PhD

Connie Tulloch (Plastics and pathogens) PhD

Erik Button (Subsoil carbon management) PhD (completed)

Emily Cooledge (Herbal leys for livestock) PhD (completed)

Anna Ray (sustainable fertiliser management) Masters with industry (completed)

Lisanne van Willegen (dune ecosystem management) PhD (completed)

Bede West (land use change) PhD (completed)

David Fidler (soil carbohydrate enzymes) PhD (completed)

Luke Hillary (soil viromics) PhD (completed)

Danielle Hunt (N₂O emissions from soil) PhD

John Langley (animal waste management) PhD (completed)

Jessica Potts (neonic insecticides in soil) PhD (completed)

Rande Dzay (AMR and viruses in wastewater) PhD

Pooja Pandemakar (AMR in wastewater) PhD

Daisy Alston (subsoil geochemistry) PhD

Wannipa Serung (Influenza in the environment) PhD

Jinhua Yin (S cycling soil and extreme events) PhD

Gimhani Thumbe Dhura (microplastics in soil) PhD

Shidi Ba (biowaste management in China) PhD

Samantha Viljoen (bioplastics innovation) PhD

Jincheng Li (denitrification in soils) PhD