Research output per year
Research output per year
Room 1.050 Arthur Lewis Building
Department of Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Oxford Road
M13 9PL Manchester
United Kingdom
Accepting PhD Students
PhD projects
I welcome enquiries from well-qualified students wishing to carry out research in areas linked to my research interests. Please the section 'Postgraduate Opportunities' under 'Overview' for further details.
I am a geographer with research interests in wildfires (both physical and social dimensions), and peatlands and organic matter cycling. My background is in carbon biogeochemistry in peatlands, specifically the role of fire on carbon dynamics.
His current research looks at fire in the landscape – from the drivers of fires and their prediction, through to the environmental and social impacts, and associated policy and governance issues. This interdisciplinary research encompasses a series of funded projects working at the interface between physical geography, social sciences, and planning.
Research interests
Selection of Research Projects since 2014
2023 - 2025: Sphagnum moss on the hills (SMOOTH). Funded by Faculty of Humanities Strategic Investment Fund
2022 - 2025: Disturbance and Restoration of Metal Contaminated Peatlands (https://peatmetal.com). Funded by NERC Global Partnership Seedcorn Fund (NE/X002756/1). PI.
2021 – 2025: Maximising ecosystem services in urban environments (MEaSURE, https://www.nercmeasureproject.co.uk). Funded by NERC (NE/W003120/1). Co-I.
2021 – 2022: Uplandia: Systems modelling for evidence-informed peatland policy. Funded by Defra/Natural England. Co-I.
2020 – 2025: Towards a UK fire danger rating system: Understanding fuels, fire behaviour and impacts (www.ukfdrs.com). Funded by NERC (NE/T003553/1). PI.
2017 – 2021: Towards a Fire Early Warning System for Indonesia (TOFEWSI, https://tofewsi.github.io/). Funded by Newton Fund – DIPI (NE/P014801/1). Co-I.
2017 – 2018: Characterizing ‘blue carbon’ dynamics in tropical mangroves. Funded by University of Manchester-Chinese University of Hong Kong Research Fund award. Co-PI.
2016 – 2018: Green Growth: Increasing resilience in cities through the delivery of green infrastructure-based solutions. Funded by NERC (NE/N017498/1). Co-I.
2016 – 2017: Restoring the Function and Resilience of Ecosystems on St Helena (REFRESH). Funded Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Environment and Sustainability Grant. PI
2014: Is the terrestrial sink of greenhouses gases going to change? Measuring the oxidative ratio of Scandinavian peatlands. Funded by Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Peter Fleming Award. PI
Gareth Clay is a Professor of Geography with research interests in wildfires (both physical and social dimensions), and peatlands and organic matter cycling. Check out the 'Research and projects' tab for more details.
2024 - present: Professor of Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development
2021 - 2024: Reader in Physical Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development
2018: Ida Pfeiffer Professor, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, University of Vienna
2018 - 2021: Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development
2012 - 2018: Lecturer in Physical Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development
2009 - 2012: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University
2006 - 2009: PhD, The Impacts of Heather and Grassland Burning in the Uplands: Creating Sustainable Strategies, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University
2003 - 2006: BSc (Hons) Geology, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University.
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Member of European Geosciences Union
Member of International Association for Wildland Fire
I welcome enquiries from well-qualified students wishing to carry out research in areas linked to my research interests.
I currently have a number of specific PhD research topics that I am keen to develop with motivated students:
Please feel free to contact me to discuss any ideas you might have in these areas. For the latest guidance on how to apply, visit https://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/
Current Postgraduate Researchers
Thomas Mair (2024 - 2028) "The Risk Posed by the Legacy of Industrial Pollution in the West Pennine Moors: Fire and Climate Change Induced Remobilisation" (with Dr Emma Shuttleworth). Funded by SEED Studentship.
Aisling O'Rourke (2023 - 2026) "Fire safety and energy poverty: Tackling a hidden injustice" (with Prof Stefan Bouzarovski and Dr Morag Rose [University of Liverpool]). Funded by ESRC-CASE award.
Oliver Bignell (2022 - 2025) "Anecdotal Anthropocenes: An interdisciplinary investigation into the role of experiential knowledge in sensing wildfires" (with Dr Nat O'Grady and Dr Aurora Fredriksen). Funded by ESRC-CASE award.
Sneha Mendiratta (2022 - 2026) "Use of social media data to analyse Anthropogenic Feedback for Fire Response: A Hybrid Neural Network Approach" (with Prof Sarah Lindley and Dr Riza Theresa Batista-Navarro). Funded by EPSRC.
Recently completed
Oscar Kennedy-Blundell (2016 - 2020) "Pyrogenic carbon characteristics and short-term degradation trends in UK peatland catchments" (with Dr Emma Shuttleworth and Prof James Rothwell). Now at University of Exeter
Oluseun Adeluyi (2016 - 2020) "The potential of remote sensing technologies for monitoring the productivity of dry season irrigated rice" (with Dr Angela Harris and Dr Timothy Foster). Now at Omega Crop
Conference organisation
2023 “Rethinking Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in the era of emergent crises: Meanings, impacts and alternatives” Development Studies Association 2023, Crisis in the Anthropocene: rethinking connection and agency for development, Reading, UK (co-convenor)
2021 "Degradation and management of peat soils and peatlands" Eurosoil 2021, Geneva
2019 - 2022 "Peatlands Under Pressure" European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria (co-convener)
2012 - 2018 “Peatlands and the carbon cycle” European Geosciences Union. Vienna, Austria (convener)
2024 - 25 Teaching
UG Year 1
GEOG10422 Dynamic Earth (Lecturer)
UG Year 3
GEOG32011 Pyrogeography (Course Convenor)
PGT
GEOG70641 EMMR Field Course, Northumberland (Course Convenor)
GEOG72901 Climate Change: Past, Present and Future (Lecturer)
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):
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Durham
Oct 2006 → Sept 2009
Bachelor of Science, Geology, University of Durham
Oct 2003 → Jun 2006
Ida Pfeiffer Professor, University of Vienna
1 Jun 2018 → 30 Nov 2018
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Clay, G. (PI), Millin-Chalabi, G. (CoI) & Pacheco Pascagaza, A. (Researcher)
1/01/20 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
Johnson, D. (PI), Bardgett, R. (CoI), Carter, J. (CoI), Clay, G. (CoI), Dennis, M. (CoI), Huck, J. (CoI) & Lindley, S. (CoI)
1/12/21 → 30/11/25
Project: Research
Schultz, D. (PI), Parkes, B. (CoI), Allen, O. (CoI), Mccormick Kilbride, B. (CoI), Jankovic, V. (CoI), Müller, T. (CoI), Foster, T. (CoI), Foster, A. (CoI), Panteli, M. (CoI), Sedighi, M. (CoI), Morgan, J. (CoI), Souvannaseng, P. (CoI), Hadi Mosleh, M. (CoI), Taithe, B. (CoI), Lombardi, D. (CoI) & Clay, G. (CoI)
1/11/19 → …
Project: Research
Clay, G. (PI), Shuttleworth, E. (CoI) & Johnston, A. (Researcher)
2/10/22 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
Gilchrist, A. (PI), Clay, G. (CoI), Radzuan, H. (CoI) & Glentworth, J. (CoI)
1/11/21 → 30/04/22
Project: Research
Clay, G. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
Clay, G. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
Clay, G. (Contributor)
Activity: Internal positions, career professional development, other peer review and other › Other › Research
Clay, G. (Chair)
Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
Clay, G. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
8/07/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
9/06/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment