Contact Dr Gill Drew
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754762
- Email: g.h.drew@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Biomass and Waste
- Carbon, Climate and Risk
- Energy and the Environment
- Energy Policy & Regulation
- Environment and Health
- Environmental Impacts
- Monitoring and Environmental Informatics
- Waste Management and Resource Efficiency
Background
Dr Gillian Drew is an Associate Professor in Geographical Systems within the Cranfield Environment Centre and Director of Education. Gill is a geographer whose research interests focus on climate change adaptation and environmental impacts as they relate to human exposure, primarily associated with waste management and energy systems. Of particular interest is the assessment of human exposure to pollution within complex environmental systems, and developing the underpinning science to enable novel monitoring and modelling techniques to support robust, risk-based decisions.
Gill started her career at Cranfield Univeristy as the Environment Agency's postdoctoral research fellow in amenity impacts of waste management. Gill has a BSc in Geography and Geology from Rhodes University, South Africa (1998), and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Geographical Science from the University of Cape Town (1999). Her PhD on the modelling the spatial impacts of climate change on vegetation was completed in 2004 within the same department at Cape Town. Gill is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Senior Fellow of HEA.
Research opportunities
Gill is currently accepting PhD and MSc by Research applications in topics related waste management, environmental and health impacts from waste or energy systems, particularly as these relate to air pollution, climate change or sustainability. Gill is also interested in research into sustainability education.
Gill would also welcome discussions with researchers who may wish to collaborate to develop their existing work programme.
Current activities
Gill has a track-record of leading waste and environmental management research for clients including the Environment Agency, Defra, NERC, SEPA, SNIFFER and SITA. Her research established the first detailed database on bioaerosol impacts from composting facilities and advanced source terms for the atmospheric modelling of bioaerosol dispersion. Gill was on the steering committee for the AfOR (2009) protocol on bioaerosols monitoring and managed the Defra project that analysed adaptation reports submitted under the first round of the Adapting to Climate Change Reporting Power. Gill also developed and managed a series of training workshops for Environment Agency staff and managed a Daphne Jackson Fellow's (Dr Reyna Al-Ashaab) research, funded by NERC. As the Programme Director for the Energy MSc Programme, Gill was responsible for overseeing and managing the delivery of MSc courses in the Energy and Power Theme. Gill has supervised over 60 MSc and 9 PhD students, and was course tutor for the MSc in Environmental Management for Business from 2007 to 2012. Gill is currently the Director of Education responsible for overseeing the MSc courses in 3 Themes within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Clients
Amey Cespa (previously Donarbon Ltd)
Environment Agency
Defra
NERC
SEPA
SNIFFER
SITA UK
Suez
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Abba YZI, Balta-Ozkan N & Drew GH. (2025). Catalysing decentralised renewable energy investment in Nigeria: investor-focused risk evaluation and de-risking strategies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, 7
- Ngo KQ, Le HA, Bang HQ, Harris N, Drew GH, .... (2023). Street-scale dispersion modelling framework of road-traffic derived air pollution in Hanoi, Vietnam. Environmental Research, 233(September)
- Garcia Alcega S, Nasir ZA, Cipullo S, Ferguson RMW, Yan C, .... (2020). Fingerprinting ambient air to understand bioaerosol profiles in three different environments in the South East of England. Science of The Total Environment, 719
- Rolph CA, Gwyther CL, Tyrrel SF, Nasir ZA, Drew GH, .... (2018). Sources of airborne endotoxins in ambient air and exposure of nearby communities - a review. Atmosphere, 9(10)
- Nasir ZA, Rolph CA, Collins S, Stevenson D, Gladding TL, .... (2018). A controlled study on the characterisation of bioaerosols emissions from compost. Atmosphere, 9(10)
- Nasir ZA, Hayes ET, Williams B, Gladding TL, Rolph CA, .... (2018). Scoping studies to establish the capability and utility of a real-time bioaerosol sensor to characterise emissions from environmental sources. Science of the Total Environment, 648
- Douglas P, Hayes ET, Williams B, Tyrrel SF, Kinnersley RP, .... (2017). Use of dispersion modelling for Environmental Impact Assessment of biological air pollution from composting: progress, problems and prospects. Waste Management, 70
- Douglas P, Tyrrel SF, Kinnersley RP, Whelan MJ, Longhurst PJ, .... (2017). Predicting Aspergillus fumigatus exposure from composting facilities using a dispersion model: a conditional calibration and validation. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 220(1)
- Jude SR, Drew GH, Pollard SJT, Rocks SA, Jenkinson K, .... (2016). Delivering organisational adaptation through legislative mechanisms: Evidence from the Adaptation Reporting Power (Climate Change Act 2008). Science of The Total Environment, 574
- Douglas P, Tyrrel SF, Kinnersley RP, Whelan MJ, Longhurst PJ, .... (2016). Sensitivity of predicted bioaerosol exposure from open windrow composting facilities to ADMS dispersion model parameters. Journal of Environmental Management, 184(2)
- Douglas* P, Hansell A, Kinnerlsey R, Whelan M, Walsh K, .... (2016). Improving exposure assessment of bioaerosol emissions from composting: Dispersion model tests. ISEE Conference Abstracts, 2016(1)
- Skinner DJC, Rocks SA, Pollard SJT & Drew GH. (2014). Identifying Uncertainty in Environmental Risk Assessments: The Development of a Novel Typology and Its Implications for Risk Characterization. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 20(3)
- Tamer Vestlund A, Al-Ashaab R, Tyrrel SF, Longhurst PJ, Pollard SJT, .... (2014). Morphological classification of bioaerosols from composting using scanning electron microscopy. Waste Management, 34(7)
- Stevens PA, Batty WJ, Longhurst PJ & Drew GH. (2012). A critical review of classification of organisations in relation to the voluntary implementation of environmental management systems. Journal of Environmental Management, 113
- Pankhurst LJ, Whitby C, Pawlett M, Larcombe LD, McKew B, .... (2012). Temporal and spatial changes in the microbial bioaerosol communities in green-waste composting. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 79(1)
- Liu J, Pankhurst LJ, Deacon LJ, Abate W, Hayes ET, .... (2011). Evaluation of inflammatory effects of airborne endotoxin emitted from composting sources. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 30(3)
- Pankhurst LJ, Deacon LJ, Liu J, Drew GH, Hayes ET, .... (2011). Spatial variations in airborne microorganism and endotoxin concentrations at green waste composting facilities. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 214(5)
- Velis CA, Longhurst PJ, Drew GH, Smith R & Pollard SJT. (2011). ChemInform Abstract: Production and Quality Assurance of Solid Recovered Fuels Using Mechanical—Biological Treatment (MBT) of Waste: A Comprehensive Assessment. ChemInform, 42(35)
- Velis CA, Longhurst PJ, Drew GH, Smith R & Pollard SJT. (2010). Production and Quality Assurance of Solid Recovered Fuels Using Mechanical—Biological Treatment (MBT) of Waste: A Comprehensive Assessment. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 40(12)
- Deacon LJ, Pankhurst LJ, Drew GH, Hayes ET, Jackson S, .... (2009). Particle size distribution of airborne Aspergillus fumigatus spores emitted from compost using membrane filtration. Atmospheric Environment, 43(35)
- Drew GH, Jordinson GM, Smith MA & Pollard SJT. (2009). Evaluating the quality of bioaerosol risk assessments for composting facilities in England and Wales. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 53(9)
- Velis CA, Longhurst PJ, Drew GH, Smith R & Pollard SJT. (2009). Biodrying for mechanical–biological treatment of wastes: A review of process science and engineering. Bioresource Technology, 100(11)
- TAHA M, DREW G, TAMER A, HEWINGS G, JORDINSON G, .... (2007). Improving bioaerosol exposure assessments of composting facilities — Comparative modelling of emissions from different compost ages and processing activities. Atmospheric Environment, 41(21)
- Taha MPM, Drew GH, Tamer Vestlund A, Aldred D, Longhurst PJ, .... (2007). Enumerating actinomycetes in compost bioaerosols at source—Use of soil compost agar to address plate ‘masking’. Atmospheric Environment, 41(22)
- Drew GH, Smith R, Gerard V, Burge C, Lowe M, .... (2007). Appropriateness of selecting different averaging times for modelling chronic and acute exposure to environmental odours. Atmospheric Environment, 41(13)
- Macleod C, Duarte-Davidson R, Fisher B, Ng B, Willey D, .... (2007). Erratum to “Modelling human exposures to air pollution control (APC) residues released from landfills in England and Wales” [Environment International 32 (2006) 500–509]. Environment International, 33(8)
- Macleod C, Duarte-Davidson R, Fisher B, Ng B, Willey D, .... (2006). Modeling human exposures to air pollution control (APC) residues released from landfills in England and Wales. Environment International, 32(4)
- THUILLER W, MIDGLEY GF, HUGHES GO, BOMHARD B, DREW G, .... (2006). Endemic species and ecosystem sensitivity to climate change in Namibia. Global Change Biology, 12(5)
- Taha MPM, Drew GH, Longhurst PJ, Smith R & Pollard SJT. (2006). Bioaerosol releases from compost facilities: Evaluating passive and active source terms at a green waste facility for improved risk assessments. Atmospheric Environment, 40(6)
