Gbotemi Adediran

Profile

I explore the intricate interactions between microbes, soil, plants, air, water, and human systems, using advanced micro-spectroscopic techniques to understand the fates and behaviour of nutrients and contaminants — from the nanoscale to the field scale. My research sits at the intersection of hydro-biogeochemistry, shedding light on critical processes that shape ecosystems, air and water quality.

Previously, I worked as an Emerging Contaminant Scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), a soil science researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, and a researcher in Microbial Geochemistry at Umeå University, Sweden.

In collaboration with UK water companies, one of my recent projects funded by UKWIR, delivered the first nationwide survey of microplastic abundance in UK drinking water (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121508). Other recent studies have uncovered the molecular speciation of phosphorus and sulphur in colloids leached through arable soils (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116585) and produced the first-ever 2D imaging of phosphorus abundance and speciation in postglacial forest soils (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114550).

Funded by a NERC capital grant, I recently established the UK Centre for Multimodal Correlative Microscopy and Spectroscopy (CoreMiS) at UKCEH (http://www.ceh.ac.uk/coremis). This is the first UK-based platform dedicated to the micro-spectroscopic analysis of environmental samples, integrating Raman Imaging and Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, and Fluorescence Light Microscopy (RISE-EDS-FLM) into a unified analytical suite. This state-of-the-art platform provides the UK environmental science community with unprecedented capabilities for simultaneous multimodal analysis, enabling more comprehensive investigations of complex environmental systems.

Research interests

•    Nutrient Cycling & Speciation: Investigating the dynamics of essential macronutrients (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S) at the organism-soil interface in arable and forest ecosystems to understand their roles in biogeochemical processes.
•    Contaminant Fate: Examining the mobility, bioavailability, and chemical transformations of both traditional contaminants (e.g., metals and metalloids such as Hg, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb) and emerging pollutants (e.g., PFAS) within soils, soil invertebrates, and aquatic systems.
•    Particulate Hydro-Biogeochemistry: Exploring the environmental behaviour of particulate pollutants, including nanoplastics, microplastics, tyre-wear particles, and colloid-bound elements, in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
•    Contaminant Remediation: Developing microbial- and plant-based remediation strategies for contaminated soils and water systems to mitigate environmental pollution.
•    Analytical Geochemistry: Advancing forensic geochemical approaches to trace the fate and behaviour of synthetic materials—particularly microplastics and tyre-wear particles—in complex environmental matrices.
 

Qualifications

• PhD Microbial Geochemistry, University of Edinburgh.
• MSc Water and Environmental Management, University of Bristol.
• B. Tech. Soil Science, Federal University of Technology Yola, Nigeria.

Professional memberships

• Member, NERC Future Leaders Council
• Natural Environment Research Council, Advisory Network
• Natural Environment Research Council, Peer Review College
• Member, European Association of Geochemistry

Student education

I am deeply passionate about environmental science education and actively contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and MSc levels, including the supervision of students.

Research groups and institutes

• Earth Surface Science Institute
• Cohen Geochemistry
• water@leeds