Contact
| Name | Neil James |
| Position | Research Fellow & NPA Project Coordinator |
| E-Mail Address | |
| Phone Number | +44 (0)1847 889579 |
| Job Description | Neil is responsible for coordinating ERI’s activity concerning Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme projects. He is also a lecturer for Environmental Conservation at UHI, and the coordinator of the community science project BirdsandDebris.com. |
Career
2015 – Present: NPA project coordinator 2011 – 2015: Contracts researcher and STEM co-ordinator 2010 – 2011: Ecological Consultant – self employed 2010 – 2010: Amphibian Research Assistant – University of Glasgow 2004 – 2009: PhD – Marine Ecology – British Antarctic Survey, University of Liverpool 2000 – 2004: MBiolSci (Hons) Zoology (First Class) – University of Sheffield |
Publications
J. Ammendolia, J. Saturno, A. L. Bond, N. J. O’Hanlon, E. A. Masden, N. A. James (2022) Tracking the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic-related debris on wildlife using digital platforms. Science of the Total Environment, 848 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157614 M. L. Grant, N. J O’Hanlon, J. L. Lavers, E. A. Masden, N. A. James, and A. L. Bond (2021). A standardised method for estimating the level of visible debris in bird nests. Marine Pollution Bulletin 172, 112889 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112889
L. Goddijn-Murphy, N. J. O’Hanlon, N. A. James, E. A. Masden, A. L. Bond (2021). Earth observation data for seabirds and their habitats: An introduction. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 24, 100619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2021.100619
N. J. O’Hanlon, A. L. Bond, E. A. Masden, J. L. Lavers, N. A. James (2021). Measuring nest incorporation of anthropogenic debris by seabirds: An opportunistic approach increases geographic scope and reduces costs. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 171, 112706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112706
L. M. Paradinas, Neil A. James, B. Quinn, A. Dale, and B. E. Narayanaswamy (2021). A New Collection Tool-Kit to Sample Microplastics From the Marine Environment (Sediment, Seawater, and Biota) Using Citizen Science. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.657709
O’Hanlon, N.J., A.L. Bond, N.A. James, and E.A. Masden (2020). Oil Vulnerability Index, Impact on Arctic Bird Populations (Proposing a Method for Calculating an Oil Vulnerability Index for the Arctic Seabirds). In Arctic marine sustainability: Arctic maritime businesses and the resilience of the marine environment (E. Pongracz, V. Pavlov & N. Hänninen, eds.), Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, Switzerland. Pages 73-94. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-28404-6_4 [PDF]
H. Zhang, S. Pap, M. A. Taggart, K. G. Boyd, N. A. James, and S. W. Gibb (2020). A review of the potential utilisation of plastic waste as adsorbent for removal of hazardous priority contaminants from aqueous environments. Environmental Pollution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113698
N. J. O’Hanlon, A. L. Bond, J. L. Lavers, E. A. Masden, N. A. James (2019). Monitoring Nest Incorporation of Anthropogenic Debris by Northern Gannets Across Their Range. Environmental Pollution, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113152
L. Goddijn-Murphy, S. Peters, E. van Sebille, N. A. James, S. Gibb (2018). Concept for a hyperspectral remote sensing algorithm for floating marine macro plastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 126: 255-262 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.011
N. J. O’Hanlon, N. A. James, E. A. Masden, A. L. Bond (2017). Seabirds and marine plastic debris in the northeastern Atlantic: A synthesis and recommendations for monitoring and research. Environmental Pollution 231(2): 1291-1301 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.101
L.M. Ottosen, I.M.G. Bertelsen, IMG, M. Charter, & N. James (2017), Circular Ocean. Environmental challenges related to waste fishing nets and innovative use as resource in fiber-reinforced concrete. Book of Abstracts Sustain 2017; A-4. http://orbit.dtu.dk/files/140840300/SustainAbstracts2017c.compressed_8.pdf
J. McClatchey, R. Devoy, D. Woolf, B. Bremner, N. James (2014). Climate change and adaptation in the coastal areas of Europe’s northern periphery region. Ocean and Coastal Management 94: 9-21 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.03.013
K. L. Evans, N. A. James & K. J. Gaston (2006). Abundance, species richness and energy availability in the North American avifauna. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 15 (4): 372-385 http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1466-822X.2006.00228.x |
Profile
With a background in marine ecology and zoology (PhD from University of Liverpool & British Antarctic Survey, Master’s degree from University of Sheffield), his broad research interests include applied approaches tackling environmental contamination, developing sustainable resource use and circular economies in remote and rural regions.
Neil’s research interests include the issues surrounding the presence, magnitude and effects of marine pollution of aquatic environments. These include: 1. Marine plastic pollution – the presence in the environment and impact on biota, especially, but not limited to birds 2. Marine oil pollution – developing new tools to assess the risk and impact of oil spills on local wildlife 3. Developing novel solutions to protect the environment and biota of remote and rural regions, including citizen science 4. Sustainable and circular economies – developing sustainable resource use and circular economies in remote and rural regions.
Neil manages and coordinates BirdsandDebris.com, the crowdsourcing, community science project focussed on the interaction of plastics, and other debris, with birds. Neil was the project coordinator for Circular Ocean, a €1.5million project funded by the EU’s Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme and responsible for the operational management overall financial administration and accounting of the project. Circular Ocean focussed on the impact of environmental contamination and sought to developing innovative and sustainable solutions for marine plastic waste. Through transnational collaboration and eco-innovation Circular Ocean developed, shared and tested new sustainable solutions to incentivise the elimination, collection and, reprocessing of discarded fishing nets and assist the movement towards a more circular economy. Circular Ocean won the prestigious EU RegioStars 2016 inaugural Public Choice Award and was a finalist in the category Sustainable Growth: Circular Economy. Currently Neil is working on the project Blue Circular Economy which is aimed at developing sustainable solutions to marine plastic waste a litter, and was itself a finalist in the RegioStars 2020 awards
Neil has previously worked on a range of transnational projects including the following EU Interreg funded Northern Periphery and Arctic / Northern Periphery Programme projects :
Current PhD students Huiyi Zhang – Can marine plastics be used as adsorbent for emerging contaminants in aquatic system? Lola Paradinas – Microplastic distribution along the Scottish coastline
Past Master’s students Florian Meyer – Marine microplastic pollution present on Northern Scottish and Orkney Island beaches and its affinity for heavy metals.
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