Ciaran is a postgraduate researcher in the Geography and Environment department at Loughborough University. He graduated from the University of Leeds in 2021 with an MGeol, BSc in Geological Sciences. Since graduating he has worked as a geotechnical engineer in the rail industry and more recently as a catchment officer at the Environment Agency as an area lead for flood defences along a stretch of the River Aire.
In 2025 Ciaran began his PhD with FLOOD-CDT to study the geomorphic drivers behind metal contaminant transport from abandoned lead-zinc mines in the northern Pennines.
Geomorphic mitigation of contaminated mining sediment mobilisation during floods
PGR Supervisors: Dr. Edwin Baynes (Loughborough), Dr Mark Kincey (Newcastle), Prof Jeff Warburton (Durham)
The northern Pennines lead-zinc orefield is the largest in Great Britain. Its metal output during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries contributed greatly to the development and history of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, these mines and their infrastructure have left a legacy of metal pollution, mostly in the form of sediment, that has adverse impacts on ecology and human health in the present day.
Ciaran’s research investigates the geomorphic mechanisms by which metal-contaminated sediment is mobilised, transported, and stored in upland fluvial environments.
By increasing our understanding of these mechanisms, more effective and efficient remediation strategies can be designed and implemented. Previous work has highlighted the importance of high magnitude, low frequency storm events as triggers for the sudden mobilisation of large quantities of sediment. As the frequency and severity of these storms increase in response to climate change, this research will only grow in importance.