Rate My Professor Helen West

Helen West is an Associate Professor in Environmental Biology in the School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, at The University of Nottingham. Her research examines the impacts of anthropogenic perturbations on ecological interactions in soil, plant, and invertebrate systems across diverse natural and managed assemblages. These include contaminated cropland investigated through the BBSRC-Link Programme, arctic tundra under the NERC GANE Programme, Chinese farming systems via the NERC ESPA project Farmer Innovation Systems in the Loess Plateau (NE/G008280/1), UK beef and dairy farms funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (08-3376), and Bangladesh agricultural systems supported by the British Council INSPIRE (SP/112). She has contributed to projects addressing phosphorus recovery as struvite from wastes, soil structural responses to microbiota alterations, and effects of veterinary drugs on invertebrate immune responses.

Current research focuses on evaluating the sustainability, ecotoxicology, and efficacy of wastes from sustainable energy systems, effects of animal manures on antibiotic resistance in soil, and nitrogen use efficiency in UK and Brazilian agricultural systems. As principal investigator or co-investigator, she leads initiatives such as EVAL-FARMS (NERC, NE/N019881/1; £1.5M), assessing antimicrobial resistance in agricultural manures and slurries; NUCLEUS (BBSRC/Newton Fund, BB/N013204/1; £1.3M) for integrated soil-plant nitrogen efficiency; Rural Hybrid Energy Enterprise Systems (RCUK-DST, EP/J000361/1; £417K for her work package); and renewable energy from animal wastes (British Council Inspire, SP-02). She supervises PhD students on antibiotic resistance risks, biochar phosphate kinetics, biogas from weeds, and plant-soil interactions. Teaching responsibilities include Environmental Biotechnology, Ecology of Natural and Managed Ecosystems, Soil Science, and research projects in Environmental Science. Key publications encompass 'Phosphorus recovery as struvite: recent concerns for use of seed, alternative Mg source, nitrogen conservation and fertilizer potential' (Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2016), 'The response of soil microbial diversity and abundance to long-term application of biosolids' (Environmental Pollution, 2017), 'Biochar-mediated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from soil amended with anaerobic digestates' (Biomass and Bioenergy, 2015), and 'Soil structural responses to alterations in soil microbiota induced by the dilution method and mycorrhizal fungal inoculation' (Pedobiologia, 2012). She holds an honorary Research Supervisor role for MSc Biotechnology students at BSMRA University, Bangladesh (since 2012), delivers public lectures, and contributes to the AgriFood Advanced Training Partnership CPD course at Cranfield University.