Dr John MacDonald
- Lecturer in Earth Sciences (School of Geographical & Earth Sciences)
telephone:
01413305558
email:
John.MacDonald.3@glasgow.ac.uk
505a, Molema Building
Biography
Biography
2015-present - Lecturer in Earth Sciences, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow
2013-2015 - PDRA in the Carbonate Research Group with Dr Cedric John, Dept. Earth & Environmenetal Science, Imperial College London
2008-2013 - PhD student with Professor John Wheeler, Dept. Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of Liverpool
2004-2008 1st class BSc (Hons) in Earth Science,
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow
https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/john-macdonald/33/b72/b35
Twitter: @DrJohnMacUoG and @gusolidearth (research group account)
Instagram: @johnmacdonald181 and @gusolidearth (research group account)
http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=zmai3BEAAAAJ&hl=en
ORCiD: 0000-0002-8609-804X
Research interests
Postgraduate Research Opportunities
"Rocks of the Future: how do anthropogenic rocks form and what challenges and opportunities do they pose?" - a mix of field and geochemical analysis to understand the processes whereby artificial ground becomes lithified to form anthropogenic rocks - the rocks of the future. This could be a PhD or MSc by Research.
Additionally, I am always happy to hear from prospective students who wish to undertake an MSc by Research or PhD in my fields of interest (see below).
Research Interests
My main research interest revolves around carbon and carbonates. I use a range of analytical methods, from X-Ray Computed Tomography (XCT) to novel isotope geochemistry techniques such as clumped isotopes, to address a range of research questions:
- atmospheric CO2 capture with slag and rocks
- pollution from legacy industrial wastes
- carbonate mineralisation in hydrothermal fluid flow and geothermal energy systems
- carbonate hydrocarbon reservoir diagenesis
I have a particular interest in legacy industrial waste products, particularly the breakdown of iron and steel slags, both from their potential for capturing atmospheric CO2 as well as the challenges they pose with pollution.
Additionally, I retain an interest in Precambrian gneiss complexes which I studied during my PhD, ranging from mineral deposit formation to zircon geochemistry.
Image: reconstruction from XCT data of mineralised CO2 in pores in steel slag.
Grants
'Legacy Wastes in the Coastal Zone'; NERC Highlight Topic; 2020-2024; £880,000; (Co-I, led by Newcastle)
Carnegie Research Incentive Grant: ‘Clumped isotopes’ in calcite: a new method for tracking fluid flow in lavas and its implications for geothermal energy generation. 2016-2017, £7030
£2200 from SAGES+ for clumped isotope analysis of steel slag-derived tufas
£2400 from SAGES+ for µCT analysis of cement waste to investigate atmospheric carbon capture
£750 from SAGES+ for microstructural analysis of carbonated slag
£750 from SAGES+ for experiments on capturing wastewater metals with carbonate precipitation
Image: photomicrograph showing fracture-filling minerals in a hydrothermal system.
Supervision
Postgraduate Research Opportunities
I am always happy to hear from prospective students who wish to undertake an MSc by Research or PhD in the following fields of interest:
- atmospheric CO2 capture with slag and rocks
- pollution from legacy industrial wastes
- carbonate mineralisation in hydrothermal fluid flow and geothermal energy
Current Students:
Savanna Van Mesdag (PhD, 2019-2023), "Anthropogenic biodiversity and geodiversity – can legacy industrial waste help offset falling global biodiversity?"
Euan McIntosh (MSc by Research, 2017-2019), "The Loch Maree Group – Economic Mineralisation and Tectonics"
- Del Angel Lozano, Jose Porfirio
A Comparison of Passive Atmospheric CO2 Capture with Steel Slags in Mexico and the UK - James, Kelly
Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Engineers under Global Change - Khudhur, Faisal Waleed Khudhur
Determining processes of co2 capture with steel slags: implications for mitigating rising co2 levels - Kirk, Jenna
Exploring the social, historical and environmental legacies of steel slag - Langley, Bethan
Arctic blue carbon: human and climatic drivers of change - MacDonald, Ellen
Oceans on Acid: using historic ocean acidification to understand marine ecosystem function under global change
Teaching
- L1 Earth Science - Pollution
- L2 Earth Science - Sedimentology
- L2 Earth Science - lead residential field classes to Isle of Arran
- L3 Environmental Geoscience - various field classes
- MSc Earth Futures - sessions on golbal challenges and research methodologies
Video: teaching on the Environmental Geochemistry field class
Professional activities & recognition
Editorial boards
- 2015: Subject Editor for the Journal of the Geological Society
Professional & learned societies
- 2015: Committee Member, Mineralogical Society (Applied Mineralogy Group)