Rate My Professor Tom Sizmur

Professor Tom Sizmur is Professor of Environmental Chemistry in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading, where he also serves as Joint Head of Department and Director of the BSc Environmental Science programme. He leads a research group investigating soil biogeochemistry in agricultural, natural, and contaminated environments. Sizmur obtained his BSc in Environmental Science of the Earth and Atmosphere from the University of Reading in 2005, MSc in Land Management from Cranfield University in 2007, and PhD in Soil Science from the University of Reading and British Geological Survey in 2011, focusing on the impact of earthworms on metal mobility and availability. After his doctorate, he held postdoctoral positions including Research Fellow in Mercury Biogeochemistry at Acadia University, Canada (2011), Research Associate at Iowa State University, USA (2012-2013), and Research Scientist at Rothamsted Research, UK (2013-2014). He joined the University of Reading as Lecturer in Environmental Chemistry in 2014, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018, and to Professor in 2022.

Sizmur's research specializations encompass soil biogeochemistry, organic matter dynamics, potentially toxic elements, biochar applications, and earthworm interactions with contaminants. His work explores regenerative agriculture practices for soil health improvement, carbon storage in soils, impacts of environmental change on pollutant behaviour and biogeochemical cycles, nutrient recycling, and sustainable food systems. Key projects include serving as Principal Investigator for the DIVERSE project on cover crop residues, collaborations with Ghanaian scientists on cocoa pod husk composting for sustainable farming, and co-investigator on a UK food systems equality initiative. He is Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Environmental Chemistry Group, Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and a member of the British Ecological Society and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Peer Review College. Influential publications include 'A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils' (Environmental Pollution, 2011), 'Biochar modification to enhance sorption of inorganics from water' (Bioresource Technology, 2017), 'Do earthworms impact metal mobility and availability in soil? – A review' (Environmental Pollution, 2009), and 'The impact of increased flooding occurrence on the mobility of potentially toxic elements in floodplain soil – A review' (Science of the Total Environment, 2021), contributing significantly to soil remediation and environmental management fields with over 6,000 citations.