Professor Will Mayes

Professor Will Mayes

Environmental Science

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Environmental Sciences

Summary

Will teaches across the Environmental Science, Geography and MSc Environmental Change, Monitoring and Management programmes. He is passionate about field and practical-based teaching to help us understand and manage the environmental issues we currently face. His research investigates how we can improve management of environmental legacies from some of the most carbon-intensive and polluting sectors of our economies.

Will teaches across Environmental Science, Geography and MSc in ECMM programmes. Key modules include:

- Introduction to Environmental Science (Level 4)

- Frontiers in Environmental Science (Level 5)

- Environmental Pollution (Level 6)

I also contribute to the following modules:

- Exploring Worlds Around Us (Level 4)

- Interpreting Environments (Level 4)

- Frontiers in Physical Geography (Level 5)

- Field Studies (Level 6)

- Environmental Impact Assessment and Monitoring (Level 6)

- Geography and Environmental Science Dissertation (Level 6)

- Sustainable Earth Resources (Level 7)

- ECMM dissertation (Level 7)

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Spatial and temporal (annual and decadal) trends of metal(loid) concentrations and loads in an acid mine drainage-affected river

Jennings, E., Onnis, P., Crane, R., Comber, S. D. W., Byrne, P., Riley, A. L., Mayes, W. M., Jarvis, A. P., & Hudson-Edwards, K. A. (2025). Spatial and temporal (annual and decadal) trends of metal(loid) concentrations and loads in an acid mine drainage-affected river. Science of the Total Environment, 964, Article 178496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178496

Conservation priorities for development: survey of UK public's views on brownfield sites and biodiversity

Macgregor, C., Deutz, P., Bunting, J., & Mayes, W. (2024). Conservation priorities for development: survey of UK public's views on brownfield sites and biodiversity. People, Place and Policy, 18(3), 135-163. https://doi.org/10.3351/ppp.2024.4947649325

Long-term coastal dynamics: The evolution of a mixed sediment mega-nourishment consisting of colliery spoil

Pitman, S., Pitman, S. J., Burke, I., Burke, I. T., Jay, H., Cooper, N., Mayes, W. M., Jarvis, A., & Jarvis, A. P. (2024). Long-term coastal dynamics: The evolution of a mixed sediment mega-nourishment consisting of colliery spoil. Journal of environmental management, 371, Article 123106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123106

Carbon dioxide removal could result in the use of lower-grade iron ore in a decarbonized net-negative emission steel industry

Renforth, P., Campbell, J., Foteinis, S., Cosgun, E., Young, J., Strunge, T., Riley, A. L., Mayes, W. M., & van der Spek, M. W. (2024). Carbon dioxide removal could result in the use of lower-grade iron ore in a decarbonized net-negative emission steel industry. Journal of cleaner production, 468, Article 142987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142987

PFAS River Export Analysis Highlights the Urgent Need for Catchment-Scale Mass Loading Data

Byrne, P., Mayes, W. M., James, A. L., Comber, S., Biles, E., Riley, A. L., & Runkel, R. L. (2024). PFAS River Export Analysis Highlights the Urgent Need for Catchment-Scale Mass Loading Data. Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 11(3), 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00017

Research interests

Current and recent research projects are listed below and include:

- Legacy Wastes in the Coastal Zone (NERC)

- Resource Recovery and Remediation of Alkaline Wastes (NERC / Defra / ESRC)

- Greenhouse Gas Removal in the Iron and Steel Industry (NERC); led by Phil Renforth (Heriott Watt)

- Impact of an extreme rainfall event on solute and sediment dynamics in a mineralised river system (NERC); led by Adam Jarvis (Newcastle)

For more details follow the link to my ORCID record on the top right of this page.

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Legacy wastes in the coastal zone: environmental risks and management futures

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£302,489.00

Started

6 January 2020

Status

Complete

Project

Greenhouse Gas removal in the Iron and Steel Industry

Funder

Cardiff University

Grant

£19,726.00

Started

1 September 2017

Status

Complete

Project

Resource recovery and remediation of alkaline wastes

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£774,884.00

Started

31 August 2014

Status

Complete

Project

Impact of an extreme rainfall event on solute and sediment dynamics in a mineralised river system

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£3,374.00

Started

1 March 2016

Status

Complete

Project

Accelerated Supergene Processes in Repository Engineering

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£18,120.00

Started

1 March 2021

Status

Complete

Project

StormFlux: Effect of Storm Babet on Pollution Fluxes from Remobilised Mine Wastes

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£19,603.00

Started

31 January 2024

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

CAMS PostDoc

Funder

Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund

Grant

£100,000.00

Started

1 November 2019

Status

Complete

Project

GCRF 2019 PPF15: Source Identification and Monitoring of Emerging Contaminants in Ground and Drinking Waters in India.

Funder

University of Hull

Grant

£26,536.00

Started

1 February 2019

Status

Complete

Project

Interreg - Sullied Sediments

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£279,657.00

Started

1 January 2017

Status

Complete

Project

ECPE PPF: To investigate a plastic free alternative to single use plastic sacks for co-mingled recyclate reflecting technical, social economic and environmental constraints

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£18,900.00

Started

1 January 2020

Status

Complete

Project

Digital resources for practical learning in the GEES disciplines

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£54,757.00

Started

1 June 2021

Status

Complete

Project

nutrient analysis on Winestead Drain (EA partnership)

Funder

Environment Agency

Grant

£8,794.00

Started

25 January 2022

Status

Complete

Project

NERC Discipline Hopping - Bridging the gap from waste to novel materials

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£3,997.00

Started

1 March 2022

Status

Complete

Project

nutrient analysis on Winestead Drain (EA partnership) 2

Funder

Environment Agency

Grant

£19,972.00

Started

1 September 2022

Status

Complete

Project

DEFRA: National Assessment to explore Methodologies to tackle Erosion and Flooding of Historic Coastal Landfill Sites

Funder

Haskoning UK Ltd

Grant

£32,665.00

Started

31 January 2024

Status

Complete

Project

Citizen-led pre-concentration and analysis of water pollution at the point-of-need

Funder

Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund

Grant

£1,600.00

Started

4 June 2018

Status

Complete

Project

Evolving a Circular Plastics Economy

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£938,304.00

Started

1 January 2019

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

Completed PhDs

Victor Uchenna Oty (PhD, 2012-2016): Remediation of hyperalkaline industrial drainage, University of Hull international bursary, field support costs from Tata Steel.

Ashley Jones (PhD, 2010-2014): Solute dynamics in mine-impacted streams, funded by University of Hull.

Helen Baxter (PhD, 2011-2015): Integrating Payments for Environmental Services with LCA at abandoned mine remediation schemes, funded by University of Hull.

Riina Vaht (PhD, 2009-2012, completed): Impact of oil shale mining on hydrological regime, co-supervisor with Prof. Mander, University of Tartu, Estonia.

Awards and prizes

Institution of Civil Engineers Telford Premium Prize 2024

2024

Awarded by ICE for paper: Sapsford, D.J., Stewart, D.I., Sinnett, D.E., Burke, I.T., Cleall, P.J., Harbottle, M.J., Mayes, W., Owen, N.E., Sardo, A.M. and Weightman, A., 2023, January. Circular economy landfills for temporary storage and treatment of mineral-rich wastes. In Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Waste and Resource Management (Vol. 176, No. 2, pp. 77-93). Thomas Telford Ltd.

Mine Water and the Environment journal - Best Paper 2015

2015

Winner of Best Paper Prize for the Springer journal Mine Water and the Environment for: Younger, P.L. and Mayes, W.M., 2015. The potential use of exhausted open pit mine voids as sinks for atmospheric CO2: insights from natural reedbeds and mine water treatment wetlands. Mine water and the environment, 34(1), pp.112-120.

Heidelberg Cement Quarry Life Award

2012

Awarded for work on ecological enhancement as part of quarry restoration.

Robert Stephenson Award: Special Award for Sustainability

2009

Contributing author to award winning North East Climate Change Adaptation Study. Award by Institution of Civil Engineers (NE).

Hawley Award for Environmental Engineering winner

2007

Awarded by the Worshipful Company of Engineers (London) for work on the application of nature-based approaches for treating alkaline industrial wastewaters

Funder panel member

NERC Peer Review College member

2009

Membership/Fellowship of professional body

Member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences

2020

MIEnvSc.

Fellow of the Geographical Society

2009 - 2020

Fellowship. Post-nominal FRGS

Chartered Environmentalist

2009

Awarded by Society for the Environment. Post-nominal: CEnv.

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