Research interests:
I am an environmental geochemist, applying “earth-systems” approach to research which covers the transport/behaviour of pollutants in the environment (air quality, land degradation and remediation, and aquatic biogeochemistry), evaluating the impact on ecosystems and for human health. Data quality, analysis methods are important developmental parts of this and we work on ensuring robust information is produced (validation, QA/QC). These studies have links to policy and knowledge transfer activities which have been focused on the role and evolution of environmental management tools, issues of regulation and sustainability, and in the development of innovative R&D support mechanisms for SMEs and wider industry across industrial sectors.
Contaminated Land; Air Quality Management; Aquatic Contamination & Monitoring; Environmental Geochemistry & Health; Environmental Analytical Chemistry; Waste & Environmental Management; process development/problem solving; science-policy.
<consultancy interests>
Contaminated Land; Air Quality Management; Aquatic Contamination & Monitoring; Environmental Geochemistry & Health; Environmental Analytical Chemistry; Waste & Environmental Management; process development/problem solving; science-policy.
Career history:
I trained as a geochemist before undertaking PhD research on analytical methods (radiochemistry, ICPMS, neutron activation analysis) to trace long lived radionuclides (principally isotopes of the actinide elements Np and Pu) in coastal regions of the UK. I was a NERC CASE PhD student based at the SURRC (now SUERC), a department of Glasgow University and worked at the then NERC Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (Cumbria).
I undertook a short Post Doc at SURRC, tracing on-land transfer of discharges from Dounreay NPP, before joining Paisley College of Technology as a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, then became a Senior Lecturer (1994) and gained a Personal Chair in 2002. I retain research and teaching interests in chemistry and chemical analysis applied to environmental sciences and industrial processes. In addition to teaching initiatives, access programmes and wider university-schools liaison, I have been heavily involved in Knowledge Exchange – establishing and coordinating Science support services and R&D facilities for business and industry. I have maintained a diverse group of environmentally focused research projects, and work on policy relevant research and advisory groups in Scotland, wider UK and EU/EC.
Active research projects:
Not available
Recent publications:
C.W. Haig, A. Hursthouse, S. Mcilwain, D. Sykes (2015) An empirical comparison of the performance of four small scale reverse-flow cyclones, Powder Technology, Volume 275, Pages 172–181 doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2015.02.011
T. N. Nganje, A. S. Hursthouse, Aniekan Edet, D. Stirling and C. I. Adamu (2015) Assessment of the Health Risk, Aesthetic and Agricultural Quality of Rainwater, Surface Water and Groundwater in the Shale Bedrock Areas, South-eastern Nigeria Water Qual Expo Health 7 (2) Pages 153-178 DOI 10.1007/s12403-014-0136-4
Uche O. Chukwura, Goddy J. Udom, Simon J. Cuthbert and Andrew S. Hursthouse, (2015) Evaluation of hydrochemical characteristics and flow directions of groundwater quality in Udi Local Government Area Enugu State, Nigeria, Environmental Earth Sciences V 73 p 4541-4555. DOI 10.1007/s12665-014-3741-4
Lewis EEL, Child HW, Hursthouse A, Stirling D, McCully M, Paterson D, Mullin M, Berry CC. (2015) The influence of particle size and static magnetic fields on the uptake of magnetic nanoparticles into three dimensional cell-seeded collagen gel cultures. J Biomed Mater Res Part B 2015:103B:1294–1301 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.33302
Miglena Zhiyanski, Andrew Hursthouse, Svetla Doncheva (2015) Role of different components of urban and peri-urban forests to store carbon – a case-study of the Sandanski region, Bulgaria, Jour Chem Biol Phys Sci; Section D; May 2015 – July 2015,Vol. 5, No. 3; 3114-3128.