Personal profile
Qualifications
Qualifications
BSc Chemistry (Leiden, the Netherlands) 1995; Msc Chemistry (Leiden, the Netherlands) 1997; PhD Earth Sciences (Utrecht, the Netherlands) 2003Other research
Recent Major Research Grants
- 2018-2022 NERC (NE/R003386/1; £561K), Future Secular Changes & Remediation of Groundwater Arsenic in the Ganga River Basin, together with Polya, Goody, Krausen. Mondal, Lloyd, Lapworth & Marchant.
- 2017-2021 NERC (NE/P007743/1; £88K), Exploring and imaging nano- to micro-scale graphite-organic interactions underpinning novel water treatments, together with Polya, Boult, Wogelius, Nabeerasool & Brown.
- 2017-2020 NERC (NE/P01304X/1; £580K), Genetic and molecular basis of organic-arsenic-microbe interactions in arsenic prone aquifers, together with Lloyd, Shaw & Polya.
- 2017-2020 NERC (NE/P006221/1; £98K), Can we detect changes in Arctic ecosystems? together with Wolff.
- 2015-2019 H2020 Euratom (NFRP-06-2014; £270K), Development of the safety case knowledge base about the influence of microbial processes on geological disposal of radioactive wastes (MIND), together with Lloyd, Pimblott, Morris & Goodacre.
- 2013-2016 NERC (NE/J023833/1; £630K), Predicting Secular Changes in Arsenic Hazard in Circum-Himalayan Groundwaters, together with Polya & Ballentine.
- 2013-2015 TECHOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD (KTP0859; £162k). Adsorption and electrochemical oxidation of aqueous organic waste, together with. Polya, Wogelius, Boult, Brown & Miller.
- 2012-2015 NERC (NE/J023426/1; £628K), The Geochemistry of Fossil Pigment Preservation, together with Wogelius, Manning & Sellers.
- 2012-2015 NERC (NE/I024798/I; £467K), Effects of a warming climate on the key organic carbon cycle processes in the Eurasian Arctic, together with Talbot.
My group
Research Group(s)
Biography
In 1997, Dr van Dongen obtained his M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Leiden and in 1998 he began his Ph.D. research at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research. There, he conducted research on the natural preservation of carbohydrates in marine sediments and the consequences for its preservation on the chemical and carbon isotopic composition of sedimentary organic matter. His research showed that preservation through sulfurization is a more important mechanism for the preservation of organic carbon than previously thought. The enhanced contribution of normally labile organic carbon can have substantial impacts on total organic carbon (TOC) records. In addition, the difference in δ13C between carbohydrates and lipids within single organisms is much larger than previously realized indicating that preservation of carbohydrates can also cause substantial changes in δ13CTOC records.
Upon completion of his Ph.D. in 2003, he accepted a PDRA position in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol. Research conducted in this capacity included reconstruction of tropical sea surface temperatures during the early Eocene using the membrane lipids of marine Crenarcheota from cores drilling in coastal Tanzania and a study into the role of a consortium of sulfate reducing bacteria and archaea in the formation of iron sulfide nodules.
In early 2005 he moved to Stockholm University for a second post-doc in the Department of Applied Environmental Science. During his time in Stockholm his research focused primarily on the effects of amplified warming in the Arctic region on the remobilization and preservation of recalcitrant soil organic carbon. The overarching objectives were to improve our understanding of the biogeochemical fate of soil organic carbon from large-scale releases to the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, using a combination of biomarker and compound specific radiocarbon analyses.
In April 2007, he moved to the University of Manchester to accept a lecturer position in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, was promoted to senior lecturer in 2012, and to reader in 2015. His current research focuses on the application of organic geochemical techniques to the study of biogeochemical processes. He supervises the organic geochemical laboratories in the Williamson research Centre and has extensive experiences with a large number of analytical techniques including GC and LC-MS, compound specific isotope and radiocarbon analyses, pyrolysis, FTIR and many kinds of extraction and separation methods.
He has published over 70 publications, is an associate editor for Organic Geochemistry, board member of the European Association of Organic Geochemists and chair of the NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility Steering Committee.
Research interests
Organic geochemistry, Isotope geochemistry
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Energy
- Sustainable Futures
- Manchester Environmental Research Institute
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Metagenomic Insights Into Microbial Controls of Carbon Cycling in Alpine Soils
Bright, K., Dienes, B., van Dongen, B., Strashnov, I., Han, X. & Aeppli, M., 22 Sept 2025, bioRxiv, p. 1-28, 28 p.Research output: Preprint/Working paper › Preprint
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Plant phylogeny, traits and fungal community composition as drivers of plant-soil feedbacks
Sweeney, C., Semtsenko, M., De Vries, F., Van Dongen, B. & Bardgett, R., 16 Jan 2025, In: Journal of Ecology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Probing the mechanisms of Fe(III)/As(V) reduction and As mobilisation using mineral-coated sands; impact of electron donor treatments
Moore, O., Richards, L., Boothman, C., Shaw, S., Macaulay, B., Polya, D., Van Dongen, B. & Lloyd, J., 25 Oct 2025, In: Science of the Total Environment. 1001, 180512.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Spatially resolved X-ray imaging and molecular characterisation of sulfur and iron in organic- and sulfur-rich hydrocarbon source mudstones
Abubakar, Y., Wogelius, R. A., Coker, V. S., Taylor, K. G., Edwards, N. P. & van Dongen, B. E., 30 Sept 2025, In: Chemical Geology. 692Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Characterisation of dissolved organic matter in two contrasting arsenic-prone sites in Kandal Province, Cambodia
Moore, O. C., Holt, A. D., Richards, L., Mckenna, A. M., Spencer, R. G. M., Lapworth, D., Polya, D. A., Lloyd, J. R. & Van dongen, B. E., 20 Oct 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Organic geochemistry. 104886.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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Molecular Environmental Science - Research Group
Garwood, R. (PI), Shaw, S. (PI), Lloyd, J. (PI), Morris, K. (PI), Polya, D. (PI), Van Dongen, B. (PI), Boult, S. (PI), Coker, V. (PI), Richards, L. (PI), Nixon, S. (PI), Lowe, A. (PI), Robinson, C. (PI), Taylor, K. (PI), Pittman, J. (PI), Neill, T. (PI), Heath, S. (PI) & Livens, F. (PI)
Project: Research
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Future Secular Changes & Remediation of Groundwater Arsenic in the Ganga River Basin
Polya, D. (PI), Joekar-Niasar, V. (CoI), Lloyd, J. (CoI) & Van Dongen, B. (CoI)
31/01/18 → 30/01/21
Project: Research
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Predicting secular changes in arsenic hazard in circum-Himalayan groundwaters.
Polya, D. (PI), Ballentine, C. (CoI) & Van Dongen, B. (CoI)
11/02/13 → 10/02/16
Project: Research
Impacts
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Arsenic research identifies avoidable health risks from groundwater arsenic informing increased awareness, policy change and mitigation
Polya, D. (Participant), Lloyd, J. (Participant), Vaughan, D. (Participant), Van Dongen, B. (Participant), Pan, J. (Participant), Richards, L. (Participant), Shaw, S. (Participant), Coker, V. (Participant), Boothman, C. (Participant), Ballentine, C. (Participant), Charnock, J. (Participant) & Lythgoe, P. (Participant)
Impact: Health and wellbeing, Policy, Environmental