Professor Graeme Paton

Professor Graeme Paton
Professor Graeme Paton
Professor Graeme Paton

Chair in Biological Sciences, Head of School of Biological Sciences

About
Email Address
g.i.paton@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 273834
Office Address
  • Room 2.22 Cruickshank Building
  • Room 2.12 Zoology Building

 

 

School/Department
School of Biological Sciences

External Memberships

Research

Research Overview

I study the relationship between pollutant speciation and toxicity. This considers the fate and transformation of environmental pollutants. This is done through the use of analytical chemical tools to study organism responses to pollutants. I am also enthused by the application and comparison of ecotoxicity assays to various environmental sample. I also use general research skills in soil microbiology and biochemistry. Specific areas of interest are:

  • Fate of inorganic/ organic pollutants in the environment
  • Development of bioassays to assess environmental toxicity
  • Chemical and biological techniques for environmental restoration
  • Soil genesis and classification and linkage to soil biology

Here is my lab

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Supervising

Research Specialisms

  • Environmental Biotechnology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Soil Science
  • Applied Environmental Sciences

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

Current Research Group

The current research group has several strands. Mostly the focus is on process level soil microbiology as a response to perturbations- mainly pollution. Biosensors are widely used to quantify and better understand these mpacts and to relate to the aspects of bioavailability. To an extent these enable sustainable solutions to be developed and bespoke risk assessment to be measured.

If you are interested in joining the group then have a think about the work that the current group and recently completed members have contributed.

Dr. Lenka Mbadugha complements the research team with her expertise in pollution monitoring, biosensor development and soil carbon dynamics. 

Rosie Boyko has completed her PhD studying the link between soil pH management and sward quality with reference to Scotland and food security. Thnayan Alonaizi is studying soil-based enzymes to devise recolonisation techniques in impacted soils. This bioaugmentation work is a new twist of remediation work with hydrocarbons that we have done in the past. He is also transplanting functional biomes back into soils. Onome Omovie-Stephen is applying techniques for carbon fractionation to contrastingly managed soils to try and develop techniques to better sequester soil carbon. The great challenge is to understand carbon partitioning and links to function and availability. 

Sapar Dossanov successfully defended his thesis: integrated approaches of risk and hazard assessment in current and historic metal mines. This work was further enhanced by Sandra Arroyo Sanchez who has upskilled the use of SEM and applied the risk assessment/ human exposure/ model approaches to Mexico. She aslo  successfully defended her PhD is Q1 of 2024- congratulations.

Alexander Kani is studying bioleaching of metal wastes as a process for elemental recovery in a sustainable manner. The focus is on critical elements and we have widened the scope from mine wastes to other matrices and are developing resin based systems for capture.  

Christoph Gade studies elemental cycling of mercury with a focus on marine sources and fate but extends this to wider geochemical concepts. The driver here is to truth test models that  have been established making use of specific analytical approaches. He has also established some effective and innovative ecotoxicological testing. 

Rita Moussa is a Hydro-Nation student and worked on anaerobic systems for the sustainable geeration of methane and hopefully hydrogen. She has submitted and successfully defended her PhD. 

 

Former Members of the Research Group

Dr. Aftab Majeed studied urban ecology with respect to planning challenges from a quantitative basis. He has recently relocated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Dr. Barry Nourice studied the fragile status of soils in the Seychelles.  

Dr. Victor Igwe focussed on microbial processes in the production of bioethanols. This made use both of empirical and modelling approaches. 

Dr. Amira Alzadjali developed new elemental specific biosensors to update the current suite used by the group in environmental diagnostics.

Dr. Abubakar Yuguda devised methods to apply mycorrhizal enhanced maize plants in the remediation of soils impacted with effluents from the tannery industry.

Dr. Chisom Agunwoke developed biosensors for soil and sediment remediation.

Dr. Mouza Al Mansouri studied sustainable water storage in Abu Dhabi where she works as the Director in Spatial Data Analysis at the Environment Agency.

Dr. Saad Dehlawi completed his research using chemical additives to enhance mobility and complexation of pollutants as a strategic technique for land and water remediation.

Dr. Chidinma Anunike used CaSx with a specific focus on the consideration of hexavalent chromium transformation. 

Dr. Hedda Weitz, who developed a range of bacterial biosensors and the only effective fungal biolouminescence-based assay, oversees the smooth running of the microbial laboratory. Jamie Buckingham oversees the challenges of soils, environmental samples and chemical analysis within the group. 

Here is a tour of the facilities

 

Collaborations

Prof. Kirk Semple, Lancaster University

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

Course Co-Coordinator 

  • Land Use and the Changing Environment
Publications

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  • Biological tools for the assessment of contaminated land: applied soil ecotoxicity

    Paton, G. I., Killham, K., Weitz, H. J., Semple, K. T.
    Soil Use & Management, vol. 21, no. s2, pp. 487-499
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Fate of hydrophobic compounds in the soil environment

    Stokes, J. D., Paton, G. I., Semple, K. T.
    Soil Use & Management, vol. 21, pp. 475-486
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Comparison of different microbial bioassays to assess metal-contaminated soils

    Tandy, S., Barbosa, V., Tye, A., Preston, S., Paton, G. I., Zhang, H., McGrath, S.
    Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 530-536
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Biosensor-based diagnostics of contaminated groundwater: assessment and remediation strategy.

    Bhattacharyya, J., Read, D., Amos, S., Dooley, S., Killham, K. S., Paton, G. I.
    Environmental Pollution, vol. 134, pp. 485-492
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Cultivation-independent in situ molecular analysis of bacteria involved in degradation of pentachlorophenol in soil.

    Mahmood, S., Paton, G. I., Prosser, J. I.
    Environmental Microbiology, vol. 7, pp. 1349-1360
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Effect of different temperatures on PAH extraction from soil by hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

    Patterson, C. J., Paton, G. I., Killham, K.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Prediction of [3-C-14] phenyldodecane biodegradation in cable insulating oil-spiked soil using selected extraction techniques

    Dew, N., Paton, G. I., Semple, K. T.
    Environmental Pollution, vol. 138, pp. 316-323
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Combined microbial community level and single species biosensor responses to monitor recovery of oil polluted soil

    Bundy, J. G., Paton, G. I., Campbell, C. D.
    Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 36, no. 7, pp. 1149-1159
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Decontamination of drill cuttings and other waste material

    Killham, K. S., Paton, G. I.
    Patents: Patents
  • Analysis of organic pollutants in environmental samples

    Dawson, J. J. C., Maciel, H., Semple, K. T., Paton, G. I.
    Soil and Environmental Analysis: Modern Instrumental Techniques, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded, pp. 515-542, 27 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) for the prediction of naphthalene mineralisation in soil

    Patterson, C. J., Semple, K. T., Paton, G. I.
    FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 241, pp. 215-220
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • The role of host organism, transcriptional switches and reporter mechanisms in the performance of Hg-induced biosensors

    Harkins, M., Porter, A. J. R., Paton, G. I.
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 97, pp. 1192-1200
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Antimony bioavailability in mine soils

    Flynn, H. C., Meharg, A. A., Bowyer, P. K., Paton, G. I.
    Environmental Pollution, vol. 124, no. 1, pp. 93-100
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils: fundamental concepts and techniques for analysis

    Semple, K. T., Morriss, A. W. J., Paton, G. I.
    European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 54, pp. 809-818
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Limitations of a cosolvent for ecotoxicity testing of hydrophobic compounds

    Bundy, J. G., Maciel, H., Cronin, M. T. D., Paton, G. I.
    Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 70, pp. 1-8
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Microbiological characterisation of a diesel contaminated beach site

    Paton, G. I., Iroegbu, C., Dawson, J. J. C.
    Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 46, pp. 903-906
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) for bioavailability assessment of organic hydrophobic compounds in soils

    Puglisi, E., Patterson, C. J., Paton, G. I.
    Agronomie, vol. 23, pp. 755-756
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Predicting the activity of Cd2+ and Zn2+ in soil pore water from the radio-labile metal fraction

    Tye, A. M., Young, S. D., Crout, N. M. J., Zhang, H., Preston, S., Barbosa-Jefferson, V. L., Davidson, W., McGrath, S. P., Paton, G. I., Killham, K. S., Resende, L.
    Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 67, pp. 375-385
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Application of cellular and immuno biosensor techniques to assess herbicide toxicity in soils

    Strachan, G. L., Capel, S., Maciel, H., Porter, A. J. R., Paton, G. I.
    European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 53, pp. 37-44
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Assessment of bioavailable arsenic and copper in soils and desiments from the Antofagasta region of northern Chile

    Flynn, H. C., McMahon, V., Diaz, G. C., Denergasso, C. S., Corbisier, P., Meharg, A. A., Paton, G. I.
    Science of the Total Environment, vol. 286, no. 1-3, pp. 51-59
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Evaluation of interactive toxicity of chlorophenols in water and soil using lux-marked biosensors

    Tiensing, T., Strachan, N. J. C., Paton, G. I.
    Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 4, pp. 482-289
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Microbial communities in different soil types do not converge after diesel contamination

    Bundy, J. G., Paton, G. I., Campbell, C. D.
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 92, pp. 276-288
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • On-line microbial biosensing and fingerprinting of water pollutants

    Horsburgh, A. M., Mardlin, D., Turner, N. L., Henkler, R., Strachan, N. J. C., Glover, L. A., Paton, G. I., Killham, K. S.
    Biosensors & Bioelectronics, vol. 17, no. 6-7, pp. 495-501
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Predicting arsenic solubility in contaminated soils using isotopic dilution techniques

    Tye, A. M., Young, S. D., Crout, N. M. J., Zhang, H., Preston, S., Bailey, E. H., Davison, W., McGrath, S. P., Paton, G. I., Kilham, K.
    Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 36, pp. 982-988
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • The potential for anaerobic mineralisation of hydrocarbon constituents of oily drill cuttings from the North Sea seabed

    Artz, R., Semple, K. T., Killham, K. S., Prosser, J. I., Paton, G. I.
    Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 553-557
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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