Contact Daniel Sandars
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111
- Email: daniel.sandars@cranfield.ac.uk
- Twitter: @sandars
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
Areas of expertise
- Computing, Simulation & Modelling
- Digital Agriculture
- Sustainable Land Systems
Background
Professional recognition and accreditation:
Chartered Environmental (CEnv) registered as a Member of the Institute of Agricultural Management (MIAgrM)
Associate Fellow of the Operational Research Society (AFORS)
Competent Communicator (CC) within Toastmasters International.
Qualifications:
MSc, Operational Research, 2004, University of Hertfordshire
MSc, Applied Environmental 1994, Science, Wye College, University of London
BSc (Hons), Agriculture, 1990, Seale-Hayne College, Polytechnic Southwest.
Positions:
01/2006-date Research Officer: (agricultural decision modelling and analysis) now Research Fellow in Operational Research in Natural Resources
07/2003-12/ 2005 Research Officer: agricultural decision modelling and analysis at Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park Silsoe, Bedford, UK
10/1995-06/2003 Research Assistant: agricultural decision modelling and analysis at Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park Silsoe, Bedford, UK
09/1994-09/1995 Assistant Consultant: bio-energy systems decision modeller at LRZ (Bio-energy Systems) Ltd, Herts., UK
Pre 1993/4 Various position in livestock and arable agriculture in the UK and the Netherlands culminating in a year as a dairy herd manager in Kent
Current activities
Daniel Sandars is experienced in systems modelling and application of quantitative methods such as linear programming (LP), data envelopment analysis (DEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA) to decisions and policy within agriculture and frequently its impact on the environment.
Recent research work has involved:
Developing a model to disaggregate the UK cattle industry into its common productions using data from the Cattle Tracing Service database to enable a more accurate and mechanistic calculation of the UK greenhouse gas inventory
Developing a structural modelling of sheep marketing and movements to calculate the costs and prevalence of routes to slaughter using livestock movement and vehicle data
Quantifying the environmental LCA of innovations in waste water treatment and the recycling of sludge to agriculture as a bio-fertiliser
Quantifying the environmental LCA of wetland biomass processed to biofuel briquettes
Calculating the environmental burdens of future national diets using LCA
Benchmarking the environmental efficiency of farms using DEA
Predicting land use change under biodiversity policy or climate change and adaptation policies using Farm Level LP.
Recent lecturing:
Linear Programming for Master's students in environmental resource economic and landscape planning and ecology
Case studies in Life Cycle Assessment of organic waste processing and disposal/ recycling to land for environmental policy master's students
Networks, Critical Path Analysis, GANNT charts and Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for project management for air transportation master's students.
Clients
Due to the fragmented nature of the agriculture sector with its many small businesses most research is publically funded through government departments, industry levy boards, science research councils, and European Union funded research.
MAFF
Defra
LINK
Environment Agency
EU Craft
EU FP7
RELU.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Anthony SG, Cardenas LC, Gilhespy SL, Sandars DL & Chadwick DR. (2025). Comment on ‘Estimating methane emissions from manure: a suitable case for treatment?’. Environmental Research: Food Systems, 2(2)
- Harrison PA, Beauchamp K, Cooper J, Dickie I, Fitch A, .... (2023). An adaptable integrated modelling platform to support rapidly evolving agricultural and environmental policy. Environmental Modelling & Software, 169(November)
- Sakrabani R, Garnett K, Knox JW, Rickson RJ, Pawlett M, .... (2023). Towards net zero in agriculture: future challenges and opportunities for arable, livestock and protected cropping systems in the UK. Outlook On Agriculture, 52(2)
- Kipling RP, Topp CFE, Bannink AD, Bartley DJ, Blanco-Penedo I, .... (2019). To what extent is climate change adaptation a novel challenge for agricultural modellers?. Environmental Modelling & Software, 120(Glob. Environ. Chang. 18 2008)
- Fronzek S, Carter TR, Pirttioja N, Alkemade R, Audsley E, .... (2018). Determining sectoral and regional sensitivity to climate and socio-economic change in Europe using impact response surfaces. Regional Environmental Change, 19(3)
- Harrison PA, Dunford RW, Holman IP, Cojocaru G, Madsen MS, .... (2018). Differences between low-end and high-end climate change impacts in Europe across multiple sectors. Regional Environmental Change, 19(3)
- Hutchings NJ, Özkan Gülzari S, de Haan M & Sandars D. (2018). How do farm models compare when estimating greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle production?. Animal, 12(10)
- Kipling RP, Virkajarvi P, Breitsameter L, Curnel Y, De Swaef T, .... (2016). Key challenges and priorities for modelling European grasslands under climate change. Science of The Total Environment, 566-567(October)
- Ozkan S, Vitali A, Lacetera N, Amon B, Bannik A, .... (2016). Challenges and priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens in the context of climate change. Environmental Research, 151(November)
- Holman IP, Brown C, Janes VJ & Sandars DL. (2016). Can we be certain about future land use change in Europe? A multi-scenario, integrated-assessment analysis. Agricultural Systems, 151
- Plà LM, Sandars DL & Higgins AJ. (2014). A perspective on operational research prospects for agriculture. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 65(7)
- Audsley E, Trnka M, Sabate S, Maspons J, Sanchez A, .... (2014). Interactively modelling land profitability to estimate European agricultural and forest land use under future scenarios of climate, socio-economics and adaptation. Climatic Change, 128(3-4)
- Cooke IR, Mattison EHA, Audsley E, Bailey AP, Freckleton RP, .... (2013). Empirical Test of an Agricultural Landscape Model. Sage Open, 3(2)
- SANDARS DL. (2010). Proceedings of the First Meeting of the Operational Research (OR) Society's Special Interest Group on Agriculture and Natural Resources (SIG-ANR). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 148(2)
- Williams AG, Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2010). Environmental burdens of producing bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes in England and Wales using simulation and system modelling. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 15(8)
- SANDARS DL & PLÀ LM. (2009). Proceedings of the Fourth Meeting of the EURO Working Group on Operational Research (OR) in Agriculture and Forest Management (EWG-ORAFM). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 147(3)
- Cooke IR, Queenborough SA, Mattison EHA, Bailey AP, Sandars DL, .... (2009). Integrating socio‐economics and ecology: a taxonomy of quantitative methods and a review of their use in agro‐ecology. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46(2)
- Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2009). A review of the practice and achievements from 50 years of applying OR to agricultural systems in Britain. OR Insight, 22(1)
- PLÀ LM & SANDARS DL. (2008). Proceedings of the Third Meeting of the EURO Working Group on Operational Research (OR) in Agriculture and Forest Management (EWG-ORAFM). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 146(5)
- Sandars DL, Audsley E, Cañete C, Cumby TR, Scotford IM, .... (2003). Environmental Benefits of Livestock Manure Management Practices and Technology by Life Cycle Assessment. Biosystems Engineering, 84(3)
- Phillips VR, Cowell DA, Sneath RW, Cumby TR, Williams AG, .... (1999). An assessment of ways to abate ammonia emissions from UK livestock buildings and waste stores. Part 1: ranking exercise. Bioresource Technology, 70(2)
