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Richard Cooper

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Richard Cooper

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4518-5761

  • 1.45 Sciences

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Applications to study a PhD in Catchment Science are welcomed. Areas of study could be on, but not limited to, river restoration, constructed wetlands, wastewater treatment, agricultural land management and nutrient neutrality.

Personal profile

Biography

Richard is an Associate Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, specialising in a wide variety of catchment science research. Richard worked for 10 years on the DEFRA funded River Wensum Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) project which aimed to evaluate the extent to which on-farm mitigation measures could cost effectively reduce the impact of agricultural pollution on river ecology whilst maintaining food production capacity. His current research projects focus on landscape recovery, integrated constructed wetlands, beaver reintroduction, and riverine microplastic pollution.

Richard is also Course Director for the Environmental Sciences degree programme.

Areas of Expertise

Richard's research has included work on nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment, pesticides, biobeds, cover crops, reduced tillage regimes, indirect nitrous oxide emissions, invasive signal crayfish, integrated constructed wetlands, sewage treatment works, sediment fingerprinting, microplastics and dendroclimatology. 

Research Group or Lab Membership

Water Security Research Centre

Teaching Interests

ENV-4002A Our World

ENV-4004Y Slapton Field Course (module organiser)

ENV-6018B Catchment Management (module organiser)

ENV-7043B Catchment Management (module organiser)

ENV-6021A Independent Project

ENV-7018A Earth Science Research Topics

ENV-7026Y Research Training Project

ENV-7119Y MSc Dissertation

Administrative Posts

Admissions Director for Environmental Sciences (2025 - )

Course Director for Environmental Sciences (2023 - )

UG Staff Student Liaison Committee (2019 - )

School Library Liaison Officer (2018 - )

Career

2025 -           Associate Professor, UEA

2018 - 2025   Lecturer in Environmental Sciences, UEA

2015 - 2017   Postdoctoral Researcher, UEA

2011 - 2015   PhD Researcher, UEA + British Geological Survey

2007 - 2011   MSci Environmental Sciences, UEA

 

Education/Academic qualification

Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Practice, University of East Anglia

1 Oct 2018 → 30 Aug 2021

Award Date: 31 Jul 2022

Doctor of Science, Advancing methods for apportioning the sources of sediment in rivers: combining spectroscopy and stable isotopes with Bayesian mixng models, University of East Anglia

1 Oct 2011 → 31 Mar 2015

Award Date: 31 Mar 2015

Master of Environmental Science, A tree-ring reconstruction of East Anglian (UK) hydroclimate variability over the last millennium, University of East Anglia

25 Sept 2007 → 31 Aug 2011

Award Date: 29 Jul 2011

External positions

River Wensum Catchment Partnership, Norfolk River Trust

1 Feb 2022 → …

Broadland Catchment Partnership Steering Group, Broads Authority

2015 → …

Keywords

  • Science (General)
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Sediment Fingerprinting
  • Catchment Science
  • Dendroclimatology
  • Soil Science
  • Agronomy
  • Rivers
  • Microplastics

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
    SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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