Barbara is an expert in environmental magnetism; tracing the formation, transport, deposition, and health impacts, of magnetic particles in the environment. She led the team which recently discovered the abundant presence of externally-derived magnetite, and co-associated metal-bearing air pollution nanoparticles, in the human brain, identifying for the first time their possible causal role in neurodegenerative disease. She uses magnetic methods to address current environmental processes and problems, including monitoring and sourcing of particulate pollutants, tracing of river sediment sources, and magnetic 'clean-up' of contaminated waters. In geological contexts, she retrieves quantitative palaeoclimatic and dating information from the magnetic records of terrestrial sediments (soils, windblown dusts, lake sediments) and deep-sea sediments of Quaternary age (up to ~2.5 million years), and from pre-Quaternary rocks.
Barbara's work has been recognised by award of the Chree (now Appleton) Medal from the Institute of Physics (2005); a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2006-2012); the Schlumberger (now Neumann) Medal, from the Mineralogical Society of Gt Britain & Ireland (2014); Fellowship of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2020; award of the Edward Bullard Lecture from the AGU (2021); and appointment as a Distinguished Lecturer, College of Fellows, AGU (2023).
Professional position
- Professor Emerita of Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Subject groups
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Atmospheric chemistry, Climate sciences, Geology, Geophysics, Limnology
