Professor Vernon Phoenix

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Contact

Personal statement

Vernon Phoenix is Professor of Environmental Engineering Science and Director of the Centre for Water, Environment, Sustainability and Public Health (WESP).  He has expertise in environmental geochemistry and geomicrobiology, and has a broad interest in bacteria/biofilm-pollutant interactions, pollutant control in natural and engineered systems and in wastewater treatment.  He combines his skills in geochemistry and geomicrobiology to explore and control pollution behaviour in the environment.  This includes research into cement-making bacteria for plugging pollution transport pathways in the subsurface, capturing and immobilizing pollutants through bacterially generated minerals and the role of the bacterial surface as a reactive interface (metal adsorption surface).  This work extends to development of pro-microbial bio-enhanced water filtration technologies for urban systems.  He has significant expertise in a wide range of imaging methods, including electron microscopies and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the later used to visualize pollution transport inside rocks, sediments and biofilms.  Outside of his work with pollutants, he continues his research in exobiology, for example, understanding how and where microbial life might be preserved on other planets.  He is always keen to talk to potential students, collaborators and industry about future projects.  He is available for consultancy.

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Publications

Stormwater quality and microbial ecology in an urban rain garden system
Corbett Erin, Ijaz Umer Zeeshan, Jackson Isla, Phoenix Vernon R
Frontiers in Water Vol 6 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1383382
Isotope hydrology and hydrogeochemical signatures in the Lake Malawi Basin : a multi-tracer approach for groundwater resource conceptualisation
Banda Limbikani C, Kalin Robert M, Phoenix Vernon
Water Vol 16 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111587
Hydrogeochemistry and water quality index for groundwater sustainability in the Komadugu-Yobe Basin, Sahel Region
Shuaibu Abdulrahman, Kalin Robert M, Phoenix Vernon, Banda Limbikani C, Lawal Ibrahim Mohammed
Water Vol 16 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16040601
An early comparison of nano to microplastic mass in a remote catchment's atmospheric deposition
Allen Steve, Materic Dusan, Allen Deonie, MacDonald Anna, Holzinger Rupert, Le Roux Gaël, Phoenix Vernon
Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances Vol 7 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100104
Evidence of free tropospheric and long-range transport of microplastic at Pic du Midi Observatory
Allen S, Allen D, Baladima F, Phoenix V R, Thomas J L, Le Roux G, Sonke J E
Nature Communications Vol 12 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27454-7
Temporal archive of atmospheric microplastic deposition presented in ombrotrophic peat
Allen D, Allen S, Le Roux G, Simonneau A, Galop D, Phoenix V R
Environmental Science and Technology Letters Vol 8, pp. 954-960 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00697

More publications

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Professional Activities

Chancellors Fellow talks
Chair
28/8/2023
BTG Workshop - Net-Zero
Participant
18/5/2022
Training day on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control for delegates from the Hebei Provincial Government
Speaker
5/12/2017

More professional activities

Projects

DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Mckenzie-Barnes, Holly
Phoenix, Vernon (Principal Investigator) Kamranzad, Bahareh (Co-investigator) Mckenzie-Barnes, Holly (Research Co-investigator)
01-Oct-2024 - 01-Apr-2028
Next generation sustainable urban drainage through geochemical and biotechnological innovation: Enhancing pollution removal for climate change resilience (Short Industry Fellowship)
Phoenix, Vernon (Principal Investigator)
01-Mar-2020 - 28-Feb-2021
Sustainable bio-cements for transport infrastructure repair
Tubaldi, Enrico (Principal Investigator) Phoenix, Vernon (Co-investigator)
16-Jan-2020 - 31-Dec-2020
Development of Framework for Sustainable Decommissioning by Utilising the expertise gained in Ship Recycling
Turan, Osman (Principal Investigator) Beverland, Iain (Co-investigator) Kurt, Rafet (Co-investigator) Lord, Richard (Co-investigator) Phoenix, Vernon (Co-investigator) Gunbeyaz, Sefer Anil (Research Co-investigator)
01-Dec-2019 - 30-Jun-2020
Prosperity Partnership Call 2 Strategic Students-Weir Group and University of Strathclyde | Drais, Sara
Phoenix, Vernon (Principal Investigator) Dempster, William (Co-investigator) Drais, Sara (Research Co-investigator)
01-Nov-2019 - 01-May-2024
Doctoral Training Partnership 2018-19 University of Strathclyde | Sauter, Christoph
White, Chris (Principal Investigator) Phoenix, Vernon (Co-investigator) Sauter, Christoph (Research Co-investigator)
01-Mar-2019 - 13-Sep-2023

More projects

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Contact

Professor Vernon Phoenix
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: vernon.phoenix@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted