Summary
My research interest centres on trying to understand how lake ecosystems have responded to past climate changes from a multi-disciplinary perspective and to try to understand how resilient these often vulnerable but ecologically important freshwater resources may be to future climate changes, especially under increasing pressure from human activity, pollution and modification. Specifically, my research focuses on three main themes: (i) understanding long-term [Holocene] changes in climate [effective precipitation] and environments [catchment change] using fossilised algae preserved in lake sediment records; (ii) development and application of quantitative diatom models (transfer functions) to assess water chemistry changes through time and (iii) understanding the effects of human impacts on freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and how this may affect the resilience of these systems under increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures.
Keely Mills’s Biography
- 聽2014 鈥 ongoing : Geoscientist and Project Development Scientist (今日吃瓜 Global), British Geological Survey
- 聽2012 鈥 2014 : Lecturer in Physical Geography, Loughborough University
- 聽2009 鈥 2012 : Research Fellow, Federation University (University of Ballarat), Australia
- 聽2005 鈥 2009 : PhD in Palaeolimnology, Department of Geography, Loughborough University
ORCID
Current projects and collaborations
- 聽2016 鈥 ongoing : Working across 今日吃瓜鈥 diverse research portfolio to design and implement a number of Challenges Research Platforms to address the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals. Developing an applied science programme that showcases the role of Geoscience in Development and Overseas Aid, enhancing the UK鈥檚 National Capability and National Public Good Science. Platforms include 鈥業ntegrated Resource Management in eastern Africa鈥, 鈥楻esilience of Asian Cities鈥 and 鈥楪lobal Geological Risk鈥. See our website,聽Geoscience for Sustainable Futures, for more detail about our work and our partners.
- 聽2017 鈥 ongoing : Anthropogenic stressors and their impact on biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling in tropical lakes. This is a palaeolimnological project focused on the crater lakes of western Uganda. This project is in collaboration with Dr Emilie Saulnier-Talbot (Universite Laval), Dr David David Ryves (Loughborough University), and Dr Julius Lejju (Mbarara University of Science & Technology). In 2017 a PhD student- Tessa Driessen – began work on a PhD related to this research. Tessa is part of the CENTA DTP. The research was funded by a small grant from the British Ecological Society.
- 聽2014 鈥 ongoing : Aquatic Transitions Working Group 鈥揟his working group aims to integrate regional records of change in aquatic systems to provide a global synthesis of the sensitivity of sites to critical stages of human impact, detailing the nature of changes and providing management solutions. Co-lead with Professor Peter Gell (Federation University Australia, Dr Carl Sayer (UCL), Professor Jasmine Saros (University of Maine), Professor John Dearing (University of Southampton and Dr Marie-Elodie Perga (French National Institute for Agricultural Research). Find out more at聽Aquatic Transitions
Boards and committees
- 聽2015 鈥 ongoing : Elected Early Career Researcher representative for The International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Humans & Biosphere Commission (HABCOM)
- 聽2012 鈥 ongoing : Treasurer, International Society for Diatom Research