Research Group Leader

Katerina Michaelides
Katerina Michaelides

Project Support

Lauren Brown
Lauren Brown, Project Support for DOWN2EARTH project.

Current Postdocs

Dagmawi Asfaw
Dagmawi Asfaw, Research Associate (Main Advisor), funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2023-25)

Andrés Quichimbo
Andrés Quichimbo, Research Associate (co Advisor), funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2021-25)
(based at Cardiff University)

Manuel Rios Gaona
Manuel Rios Gaona, Research Associate (co Advisor), funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2021-25)
(based at Cardiff University)

Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, Research Associate (Main Advisor), funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2024-25)

Current PhD Students

(Katerina’s role in parentheses)


George Blake
George Blake, PhD (Primary Supervisor), NERC GW4 DTP Studentship (Met Office CASE)
Thesis: Convective-scale predictions of climate impacts on the water balance in East African drylands (2022-)

Katherine Cocking
Katherine Cocking, PhD (Co-Supervisor), Cardiff University Scholarship
Thesis: Impacts of projected future climate change in the Horn of Africa drylands (2021-)

Visiting PhD Students


Ying Hu
Ying Hu, Visiting PhD student (Feb-Aug 2024), University of Bristol, China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship
Project while in Bristol: Analysing vegetation responses to climate in East African drylands

Past Postdocs


David MacLeod
David MacLeod, Senior Research Assoicate, funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2020-23)

Jacob Rigby
Jacob Rigby, Research Assoicate, funded by EU Horizon 2020 Project Down2Earth (2023-24)

Past Graduate Students (PhD and Masters)

Isaac Kipkemoi
Isaac Kipkemoi, PhD (Primary Supervisor), Kenyan Government Scholarship
Thesis: Detecting signatures of drought in vegetation of East Africa (2018-2024)

Tamsin Lockwood
Tamsin Lockwood, PhD (Primary Supervisor, taken over from Jim Freer in 2019)
Thesis: Quantifying the efficacy of in-situ Natural Flood Management (NFM) (2017-2022)

Shiuan-An Chen
Shiuan-An Chen, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Climatic controls on river topography (2016-2021)

Eleanor Hansford, MSc (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Recent precipitation changes in East Africa and their relation to groundwater (2018-19)

Rory Hollings, MScR (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: How do rainstorms shape dryland river basins? (2014-2017)

Thom Turpin-Jelfs, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Impacts of environmental change on the soil nitrogen pool in emerging and degrading arid ecosystems. (2014-2019)

Alice Charteris, PhD (2nd Supervisor)
Thesis: 15N tracing of microbial assimilation, partitioning and transport of fertilisers in grassland soils. (2013-2017)

Rebecca Harrison, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: An Investigation of Spatial and Temporal of Pesticide Dynamics at the Catchment Scale. (2011-2014)

Charlotte Lloyd, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Experimental investigations of the effects of hydrological and erosion processes on the transport and fate of livestock-derived organic matter. (2007-2011)

Debbie Lister, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Small-Scale Erosion-Driven Nutrient Dynamics in Different Vegetation Communities in Jornada, New Mexico: Implications for Land Degradation. (2004-2007)

Gareth Martin, PhD (Primary Supervisor)
Thesis: Investigating the effects of hillslope-channel coupling on sediment transport in semi-arid areas. (2001-2005)

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Group on Crescent Island, Naivasha, Kenya, during D2E General Assembly 30th Oct 2024.
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Group at Hellsgate gorge, Kenya during D2E General Assembly 31st Oct 2024.
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Group at Maa Trust House, Maasai Mara on 1st Nov 2024.
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Katerina with Maasai women doing beadwork at the Maa Trust on 1st Nov 2024.
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Group during game drive at Maasai Mara on 2nd Nov 2024.
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Group with awesome driver Bob in Nairobi after safari, 3rd Nov 2024.
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Group at VOX coaching session 23 September 2024, with the VOX master himself, Pete Bailie.
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Group at VOX coaching session 4th Feb 2022.