Dr Kieran Baker

Research Fellow

Telephone number: +44(0) 113 34 34696
Email address: K.Baker@leeds.ac.uk

Biography

I received a BSc (hons) in Geochemistry from the University of Manchester in 2006. A course in geomicrobiology, undertaken in my final year, led to my becoming interested in microbe-mineral interactions and the geochemical controls on microbial processes. Accordingly, I undertook an EPSRC-funded PhD in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield, where I investigated the geochemical controls on anaerobic microbial communities in a phenols-contaminated aquifer.

This work led to spin off projects where I used experimental systems to validate model descriptions of microbial attachment to minerals. After completing my PhD in 2010, I was awarded a 1-year EPSRC PhD Plus Fellowship at the University of Leeds, working with Prof. Simon Bottrell. I then become a commercial Research Project Manager, before returning to SEE in 2012 to again work with Prof. Bottrell, plus Prof. Sam Falle (Maths).

My current work uses bench-scale experimental systems to validate model descriptions of microbial transport processes in porous media with properties (grain-size, porosity, pore-throat connectivity) spanning common aquifer systems. Our aim is to be able to adequately predict the physical and chemical limitations on microbial transport.

The work is undertaken as part of the Cohen Research Group.

Qualifications

• BSc (2006) - University of Manchester: Geochemistry
• PhD (2010) - University of Sheffield: "The geochemical controls on anaerobic microbial ecology in a phenol-contaminated sandstone aquifer"

Memberships/Fellowships

• Fellow of The Geological Society of London
• Member of The Geochemical Society

Research Interests

• Microbe-mineral interactions
• Biogeochemical processes in porous media
• Contaminant hydrogeology
• Energy from waste (particularly anaerobic biogas production)