Contact Dr Mark Pawlett
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111 x2702
- Email: m.pawlett@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Biomass and Waste
- Nanotechnology
- Soil
- Soil Resources
Background
Qualifications:
- PhD 2002. University of East London. Soil Ecology
- MSc 1995. University of East London. Environmental Sciences
- BSc (Hons) 1992. Nottingham Trent University. Applied Biology
Previous Employment:
ANALYTICAL CHEMIST: Technichem Laboratories Ltd: 1997 to 1999 UKAS accredited. Analytical duties: Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (AES), Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) with graphite furnace, hydride generation and cold vapor systems, Florescence Spectroscopy.
ANALYTICAL CHEMIST: London Analytical Ltd: 1995 to 1997: Analysis of environmental samples for: metals, phenol, cyanide, sulphate, sulphide, bomb calorimetry, nutrients as well as sample preparation, training and supervision of junior staff.
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT: Nottingham Wildlife Trust: 1993 Habitat management
RESEARCH SCIENTIST: University of East London: 1991. Industrial placement research project for BSC (Hons) Applied Biology. A study of peat alternatives using soil microbial techniques.
Current activities
Dr Mark Pawlett is a Senior Research Fellow of Soil Biology, with a focus on developing innovative strategies for sustainable land management. He is especially interested in the biological interface between the plants and soil, targeting sustainable management solutions to improve soil health (function and nutrient cycling pathways) for improved ecosystem services. Of particular interest is the use of biogas digestaes to manipulate the soil microbiome for improved health, and he has recently become interested in cadaver soil interactions in the context of natural/green burials (Pawlett et al 2019). He is also working with various companies to develop biostimulants for improved soil health. Overseas experience includes sampling and in-field microbial analysis at the Engabreen Glacier in Norway (Barnett et al 2016), heathland restoration in Netherlands, and Bauxite residue recovery area restoration in Ireland (Courtney et al 2014 and 2016). He is a Chartered Environmental Scientist and Course Director for MSc Environmental Engineering (https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/environmental-engineering), and currently supervising six PhD students.
Current research projects
· Response of soil biological communities to a variety of organic matter amendments how this relates to climate change mitigation
· Bioremediation of heavy metal and hydrocarbon polluted soil
· Manipulating the microbial legacy response to organic amendments for soil nutrient bioavailability
· Has plant breeding decoupled beneficial plant microbiome interactions in wheat?:
· Exploitation of beneficial root- associated bacteria in grain cereal-based cropping systems
· Novel fertilizer formulations for enhanced N use efficiency
Clients
- DEFRA
- EPSRC
- BBSRC
- EA
- NERC
- WRAP
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Albano X, Whitmore AP, Sakrabani R, Thomas CL, Sizmur T, Ritz K, Harris J, Pawlett M, Watts C & Haefele SM (2023) Effect of different organic amendments on actual and achievable yields in a cereal-based cropping system, Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Available online 27 February 2023.
- Hudson A, Murnane JG, O'Dwyer T, Pawlett M & Courtney R (2023) Influence of sediment quality and microbial community on the functioning capacity of a constructed wetland treating alkaline leachate after 5.5 years in operation, Science of the Total Environment, 867 (April) Article No. 161259.
- Borchers N, Hannam J & Pawlett M (2022) Microbial community composition of translocated ancient woodland soil: a case study, Restoration Ecology, 30 (7) Article No. e13618. Dataset/s: 10.17862/cranfield.rd.14882727
- Ofem KI, Pawlett M, Eyong MO, Kingsley J, Umeobi EC, Ezeaku PI & Asadu CLA (2022) Multivariate modeling of some metals concentrations in agrarian soils: distribution and soil fertility implications in the tropics, Earth Systems and Environment, 6 (2) 583-595.
- Geng Y, Wang J, Sun Z, Ji C, Huang M, Zhang Y, Xu P, Li S, Pawlett M & Zou J (2021) Soil N-oxide emissions decrease from intensive greenhouse vegetable fields by substituting synthetic N fertilizer with organic and bio-organic fertilizers, Geoderma, 383 (February) Article No. 114730.
- Ofem KI, John K, Pawlett M, Eyong MO, Awaogu CE, Umeugokwe P, Ambrose-Igho G, Ezeaku PI & Asadu CLA (2021) Estimating soil organic matter: a case study of soil physical properties for environment-related issues in southeast Nigeria, Earth Systems and Environment, 5 (4) 899-908.
- Reid TE, Kavamura VN, Abadie M, Torres-Ballesteros A, Pawlett M, Clark IM, Harris J & Mauchline TH (2021) Inorganic chemical fertilizer application reduces putative plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in wheat, Frontiers in Microbiology, 12 (March) Article No. 642587.
- Pawlett M, Hannam JA & Knox JW (2021) Redefining soil health, Microbiology, 167 (1) Article No. 001030.
- Ameh EM, Tyrrel S, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Orlova EV, Ignatiou A & Nocker A (2020) Lysis performance of bacteriophages with different plaque sizes and comparison of lysis kinetics after simultaneous and sequential phage addition, Phage, 1 (3) 149-157.
- Radujković D, van Diggelen R, Bobbink R, Weijters M, Harris J, Pawlett M, Vicca S & Verbruggen E (2020) Initial soil community drives heathland fungal community trajectory over multiple years through altered plant-soil interactions, New Phytologist, 225 (5) 2140-2151.
- Duddigan S, Gil-Martínez M, Fraser T, Green I, Diaz A, Sizmur T, Pawlett M, Raulund-Rasmussen K & Tibbett M (2020) Evaluating heathland restoration belowground using different quality indices of soil chemical and biological properties, Agronomy, 10 (8) Article No. 1140.
- Pawlett M, Rickson J, Niziolomski J, Churchill S & Kesner M (2019) Human cadaver burial depth affects soil microbial and nutrient status, Archaeological and Environmental Forensic Science, 1 (2) 119-125.
- Norton BA, Bending GD, Clark R, Corstanje R, Dunnett N, Evans KL, Grafius DR, Gravestock E, Grice SM, Harris JA, Hilton S, Hoyle H, Lim E, Mercer TG, Pawlett M, Pescott OL, Richards JP, Southon GE & Warren PH (2019) Urban meadows as an alternative to short mown grassland: effects of composition and height on biodiversity, Ecological Applications, 29 (6) Article No. e01946. Dataset/s: 10.5285/d0741544-cdf3-497d-996b-e30b4b7373c1
- van der Bij AU, Weijters MJ, Bobbink R, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Ritz K, Benetková P, Moradi J, Frouz J & van Diggelen R (2018) Facilitating ecosystem assembly: Plant-soil interactions as a restoration tool, Biological Conservation, 220 (April) 272-279.
- Todman LC, Fraser FC, Corstanje R, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Ritz K & Whitmore AP (2018) Evidence for functional state transitions in intensively-managed soil ecosystems, Scientific Reports, 8 (1) Article No. 11522. Dataset/s: 10.6084/m9.figshare.5982337
- Pawlett M, Owen A & Tibbett M (2018) Amenity grassland quality following anaerobic digestate application, Grassland Science, 64 (3) 185-189.
- van der Bij AU, Pawlett M, Harris JA, Ritz K & van Diggelen R (2017) Soil microbial community assembly precedes vegetation development after drastic techniques to mitigate effects of nitrogen deposition, Biological Conservation, 212 (Part B) 476-483.
- Todman LC, Fraser FC, Corstanje R, Deeks LK, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Ritz K & Whitmore AP (2016) Defining and quantifying the resilience of responses to disturbance: a conceptual and modelling approach from soil science, Scientific Reports, 6 (1) Article No. 28426.
- Fraser FC, Corstanje R, Deeks LK, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Todman LC, Whitmore AP & Ritz K (2016) On the origin of carbon dioxide released from rewetted soils, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 101 (October) 1-5.
- Barnett MJ, Pawlett M, Wadham JL, Jackson M & Cullen DC (2016) Demonstration of a multi-technique approach to assess glacial microbial populations in the field, Journal of Glaciology, 62 (232) 348-358.
- Fraser FC, Todman LC, Corstanje R, Deeks LK, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Whitmore AP & Ritz K (2016) Distinct respiratory responses of soils to complex organic substrate are governed predominantly by soil architecture and its microbial community, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 103 (December) 493-501.
- Higgins D, Curtin T, Pawlett M & Courtney R (2016) The potential for constructed wetlands to treat alkaline bauxite-residue leachate: Phragmites australis growth, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23 (23) 24305-24315.
- Durenkamp M, Pawlett M, Ritz K, Harris JA, Neal AL & McGrath SP (2016) Nanoparticles within WWTP sludges have minimal impact on leachate quality and soil microbial community structure and function, Environmental Pollution, 211 (April) 339-405.
- Bartuska M, Pawlett M & Frouz J (2015) Particulate organic carbon at reclaimed and unreclaimed post-mining soils and its microbial community composition, CATENA, 131 92-98.
- Plaza C, Pawlett M, Fernández JM, Méndez A, Gascó G & Ritz K (2015) Does biochar interfere with standard methods for determining soil microbial biomass and phenotypic community structure?, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 81 143-146.
- Pawlett M, Deeks LK & Sakrabani R (2015) Nutrient potential of biosolids and urea derived organo-mineral fertilisers in a field scale experiment using ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), Field Crops Research, 175 56-63.
- Courtney R, Harris JA & Pawlett M (2014) Microbial community composition in a rehabilitated bauxite residue disposal area: a case study for improving microbial community composition, Restoration Ecology, 22 (6) 798-805.
- Deeks LK, Chaney K, Murray C, Sakrabani R, Gedara S, Le MS, Tyrrel S, Pawlett M, Read R & Smith G (2013) A new sludge-derived organo-mineral fertilizer gives similar crop yields as conventional fertilisers, Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 33 (3) 539-549.
- Deeks LK, Chaney K, Murray C, Sakrabani R, Gedara S, Le MS, Tyrrel S, Pawlett M, Read R & Smith GH (2013) Field evaluation of a sewage sludge derived novel organo-mineral fertilizer on combinable crops, Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 33 (3) 539-549.
- Pawlett M, Ritz K, Dorey RA, Rocks S, Ramsden J & Harris JA (2013) The impact of Zero-valent Iron Nanoparticles upon Soil Microbial Communities is Context Dependent, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 20 (2) 1041-1049.
- Pankhurst LJ, Whitby C, Pawlett M, Larcombe LD, McKew B, Deacon LJ, Morgan SL, Villa R, Drew GH, Tyrrel S, Pollard SJ & Coulon F (2012) Temporal and spatial changes in the microbial bioaerosol communities in green-waste composting., FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 79 (1) 229-239.
- Harris JA, Baptista JDC, Curtis TP, Nelson AK, Pawlett M, Ritz K & Tyrrel SF. (2012) Engineering difference: Matrix design determines community composition in wastewater treatment systems, Ecological Engineering, 40 183-188.
- Harris JA, Ritz K, Coucheney E, Grice SM, Lerch TZ, Pawlett M & Herrmann A. (2012) The thermodynamic efficiency of soil microbial communities subject to long-term stress is lower than those under conventional input regimes, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 47 149-157.
- Harris JA, Tyrrel SF, Ritz K, Lanigan GJ, Griffiths BS, Brennan FP, Bourdin F, Massey PA, Moynihan EL, Rogers NE, Kibblewhite MG, Pawlett M, Sakrabani R, Hoekstra NJ, Creamer RE, Schulte RPO & Richards KG (2011) Does soil biology hold the key to optimized slurry management? A manifesto for research, Soil Use and Management, 27 (4) 464-469.
- McAdam EJ, Pawlett M & Judd SJ (2010) Fate and impact of organics in an immersed membrane bioreactor applied to brine denitrification and ion exchange regeneration, Water Research, 44 (1) 69-76.
- Creamer RE, Bellamy P, Black HIJ, Cameron CM, Campbell CD, Chamberlain P, Harris J, Parekh N, Pawlett M, Poskitt J, Stone D & Ritz K (2009) An inter-laboratory comparison of multi-enzyme and multiple substrate-induced respiration assays to assess method consistency in soil monitoring, Biology and Fertility of Soils, 45 (6) 623-633.
- Pawlett M, Hopkins DW, Moffett BF & Harris JA (2009) The effect of earthworms and liming on soil microbial communities, Biology and Fertility of Soils, 45 (4) 361-369.
- Corstanje R, Kirk GJD, Pawlett M, Read R & Lark RM (2008) Spatial variation of ammonia volatilization from soil and its scale dependent correlation with soil properties, European Journal of Soil Science, 59 (6) 1260-1270.
- Pawlett M & Tibbett M Is sodium in anaerobically digested food waste a potential risk to soils?, Journal of Environmental Engineering and Management, 25 (4) 235-239.
Conference Papers
- Fraser F, Corstanje R, Todman L, Bello-Curás D, Bending G, Deeks L, Harris J, Hilton S, Pawlett M, Zawadzka J, Whitmore A & Ritz K (2022) Evidence of ecological critical slowing-down in temperate soils. In: EGU General Assembly, 2022, Vienna, 23-27 May 2022.
- Chamberlain PC, Black HIJ, Cameron CM, Campbell CD, Creamer RE, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Poskitt J, Singh B, Ritz K & Wood C (2007) Can consistent temporal changes be detected in the diversity of soil invertebrates under different environmental pressures. In: Soils - fit for purpose ? : BSSS Annual Meeting 2007, 1 September 2007.
- Black HIJ, Cameron CM, Campbell CD, Chamberlain PM, Creamer RE, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Poskitt J, Singh B, Ritz K & Wood C (2007) An ecosystem services approach to the selection of biological indicators of soil quality for national-scale soil monitoring. In: Soil Ecology - British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 2007, Glasgow, UK, 1 September 2007.
- Creamer RE, Chamberlain PM, Black HIJ, Cameron CM, Campbell CD, Harris JA, Pawlett M, Poskitt J, Singh B, Ritz K & Wood C (2007) How does temporal variability influence the reliability of multiple substrate induced respiration as an indicator of soil quality?. In: Soils - fit for purpose ? - BSSS Annual Meeting 2007, 1 September 2007.
- Sakrabani R, Pawlett M, Read R & Deeks LK Optimising phosphorus supply from nutrient enriched sludge granules using diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT). In: 16th European Biosolids and Organic Resources Conference, Leeds, 14 November 2011.
