Who am I?

My research and teaching is in the fields of analytical chemistry and envrionmental science. I like to investigate sources of environmental pollutants and monitor their fate and transport in the environment using advanced analytical techniques including multidimensional chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry. Much of my research has an environmental forensics aspect which involves identifying the sources of contamination and establishing the magnitude of any human or wildlife exposures.

Academic and professional qualifications

• PhD in Environmental Chemistry, Plymouth University (2011-14) PhD thesis: Application of Polychlorinated biphenyl Signatures for Environmental Fingerprinting
• MSc in Environmental Analysis and Assessment, Royal Holloway University of London (2006-07)
• BSc in Environmental Forensics, University of Wales, Bangor (2003-06)

Previous employment

Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Toronto/Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change/Conservation Ontario, Canada (2015-16)

I developed a QuEChERS screening method to quickly identify potential contaminants of concern in sediments. Extracted samples were analysed using atmospheric pressure gas chromatography and high resolution time of flight mass spectrometry (APGC-HRToFMS).

Post Doctoral Fellow, Ryerson University/Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Canada (2014-15)

I developed an analytical method for the analysis of emerging organophosphorous and halogenated flame retardants using APGC-HRToFMS

Independent consultant, (2008-16)

I operated as an independent consultant in environmental forensics. I was appointed to an expert panel to identify the risks to surface waters from hydraulic fracturing, provided assistance on legal cases with data interpretation and analysis to establish the source of a PCBs. I have also run a series of workshops and given lectures on contaminated land assessment and environmental forensics.

Environmental Scientist, Mouchel, UK (2007-11)

I was a technical advisor for human health risk assessment and environmental forensics associated with contaminated land. I conducted a large variety of different projects assessing contamination and human exposure on a former gas works, a chemical factory, several former landfills, residential, industrial, allotments, public open space and highway schemes

Why study ?

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

I am curently involved with the supervision of the following PhD candidates:

Director of Studies

Jodie Barber (An assessment of zoonotic disease risk posed by animal events worldwide)

Emmelianna Kumar (Development And Application Of Methods For Quantifying Pharmaceuticals In Eurasian Otters (Lutra lutra))

Co-supervisor

Lauren McNeill (Origami Chips: paper-based Lab-on-a-Chip devices for the rapid and cost-effective detection of New Psychoactive Substances (NPSs))

Guuske Tiktak (Conservation management of elasmobranch populations)

Thomas Huges (The importance of mesocarnivores; Impacts of diet, pollutants and gut microbiomes)

Research expertise

My main research interests are in the field of environmental forensics. This involves the systematic and scientific evaluation of physical, chemical and historical information for the purpose of developing defensible scientific and legal conclusions regarding the source or age of a contaminant release into the environment." Or in more basic English; establishing the "who", "what", "when" and "where" from a contamination event.

My specific research areas are:

• Extraction of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from environmental samples, e.g. soil, sediment, animals and humans
• Analysis of POPs by multidimensional chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry
• Chemical fingerprinting and the use of multivariate statistics
• Source identification, and tracking the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment
• Contaminated land and human health risk assessments

Publications

• Books (authored/edited/special issues)

  G. O'Sullivan, D. Megson (2015). Environmental Forensics Proceedings of the 2014 INEF Conference. Royal Society of Chemistry.

• Journal articles

  D. Megson, S. Hajimirzaee, A. Doyle, F. Cannon, J-C. Balouet (2019). Investigating the potential for transisomerisation of trycresyl phosphate with a palladium catalyst and its implications for aircraft cabin air quality. Chemosphere. 215, pp.532-534.

  N. D'Cruze, B. Singh, A. MOOKERJEE, D. Macdonald, K. Hunter, et al. C. Brassey, R. Jennifer, S. Megson, DP. Megson, G. Fox, J. Louies, RS. Sharath. (2018). What’s in a name? Wildlife traders evade authorities using code words. Oryx. 52(1), pp.13-15.

  R. Lega, D. Megson, C. Hartley, P. Crozier, K. MacPherson, et al. T. Kolic, PA. Helm, A. Myers, SP. Bhavsar, EJ. Reiner. (2017). Congener specific determination of polychlorinated naphthalenes in sediment and biota by gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A. 1479, pp.169-176.

  D. Megson, M. Robson, KJ. Jobst, PA. Helm, EJ. Reiner (2016). Determination of Halogenated Flame Retardants Using Gas Chromatography with Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) and a High-Resolution Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (HRqTOFMS). Analytical Chemistry. 88(23), pp.11406-11411.

  R. Guo, D. Megson, AL. Myers, PA. Helm, C. Marvin, et al. P. Crozier, S. Mabury, SP. Bhavsar, G. Tomy, M. Simcik, B. McCarry, EJ. Reiner. (2016). Application of a comprehensive extraction technique for the determination of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Great Lakes Region sediments. Chemosphere. 164, pp.535-546.

  DP. Megson, EJ. Reiner, KJ. Jobst, FL. Dorman, M. Robson (2016). A review of the determination of persistent organic pollutants for environmental forensics investigations. Analytica Chimica Acta. 941, pp.10-25.

  D. Megson, X. Ortiz, KJ. Jobst, EJ. Reiner, MFA. Mulder, et al. J-C. Balouet. (2016). A comparison of fresh and used aircraft oil for the identification of toxic substances linked to aerotoxic syndrome. Chemosphere. 158, pp.116-123.

  DP. Megson (2016). Environmental Forensics in the Workplace. LCGC North America. 34(8), pp.564-565.

  D. Megson, J-F. Focant, DG. Patterson, M. Robson, MC. Lohan, et al. PJ. Worsfold, S. Comber, R. Kalin, E. Reiner, G. O'Sullivan. (2015). Can polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) signatures and enantiomer fractions be used for source identification and to age date occupational exposure?. Environ Int. 81, pp.56-63.

  DP. Megson, JC. Balouet, F. Gallion, G. O'Sullivan (2015). FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS IN COMPLEX POLLUTION CASES INVOLVING PCBS, DIOXINS AND FURANS: POTENTIAL PITFALLS AND TIPS.

  D. Megson, TA. Brown, GW. Johnson, G. O'Sullivan, AWJ. Bicknell, et al. SC. Votier, MC. Lohan, S. Comber, R. Kalin, PJ. Worsfold. (2014). Identifying the provenance of Leach's storm petrels in the North Atlantic using polychlorinated biphenyl signatures derived from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Chemosphere. 114, pp.195-202.

  DP. Megson, G. O'Sullivan, PJ. Worsfold, MC. Lohan, S. Comber (2014). Techniques to Age Date Human Exposure to PCBs.

  D. Megson, R. Kalin, PJ. Worsfold, C. Gauchotte-Lindsay, DG. Patterson, et al. MC. Lohan, S. Comber, TA. Brown, G. O' Sullivan. (2013). Fingerprinting polychlorinated biphenyls in environmental samples using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A. 1318, pp.276-283.

  D. Megson, TA. Brown, G. O'Sullivan, M. Robson, X. Ortiz, et al. PJ. Worsfold, S. Comber, MC. Lohan, EJ. Reiner. Changes to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) signatures and enantiomer fractions across different tissue types in Guillemots. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 131, pp.174-179.

  D. Megson, G. O'Sullivan, S. Comber, PJ. Worsfold, MC. Lohan, et al. MR. Edwards, WJ. Shields, CD. Sandau, DG. Patterson. (2013). Elucidating the structural properties that influence the persistence of PCBs in humans using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset. Sci Total Environ. 461-462, pp.99-107.

  DP. Megson, S. Dack (2012). Assessing changes to the congener profile of PCDD and PCDF during bioaccumulation in chicken and duck eggs.

  D. Megson, S. Dack, M. Moore (2011). Limitations of the CLEA model when assessing human health risks from dioxins and furans in soil at an allotments site in Rochdale, NW England. J Environ Monit. 13(7), pp.1983-1990.

  D. Wayland, DP. Megson, SM. Mudge, JD. Icely, A. Newton (2008). Identifying the Source of Nutrient Contamination in a Lagoon System. Environmental Forensics. 9(2-3), pp.231-239.

• Chapters in books

  D. Megson (2019). Polychlorinated Biphenyls. In: Encyclopedia of Analytical Science. Elsevier,

  EJ. Reiner, KJ. Jobst, D. Megson, FL. Dorman, JF. Focant (2013). Analytical Methodology of POPs. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. pp.59-139.

  G. O'Sullivan, D. Megson (2013). Brief Overview: Discovery, Regulation, Properties, and Fate of POPs. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. pp.1-20.

  V. Jaspers, D. Megson, G. O'Sullivan (2013). POPs in the Terrestrial Environment. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. pp.291-356.

  DP. Megson, G. O'Sullivan (2013). Chapter 1 – Brief Overview: Discovery, Regulation, Properties, and Fate of POPs. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. Newnes,

  DP. Megson, EJ. Reiner, KJ. Jobst, FL. Dorman, JF. Focant (2013). Chapter 3 – Analytical Methodology of POPs. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. Newnes,

  DP. Megson, G. O'Sullivan (2013). Chapter 7 – POPs in the Terrestrial Environment. In: Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants. Newnes,

• Reports

  J. Wentworth, D. Megson Persistent Chemical Pollutants. POST - Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, POST - Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

Conference organisation

• The 5th International Network of Environmental Forensics Conference, Toronto, Canada (2015)
• The 7th Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop, Toronto, Canada (2016)
• The 16th Annual Workshop on Brominated and Other Flame Retardants, Toronto, Canada (2016)
• The 7th International Network of Environmental Forensics Conference, Beijing, China (2017)
• The 37th International Symposium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - DIOXIN 2017, Vancouver, Canada
• The 8th International Network of Environmental Forensics Conference, Salt Lake City (2018)
• The 35th SEGH (Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health) Conferenrece, Manchester (2019)

Expert reviewer for journals and publishers

I regularly review articles for environmental journals including:

• Chemosphere
• Environment International
• Environmental Science and Technology
• Environmental Science Processes and Impacts
• Environmental Technology & Innovation
• Journal of Soils and Sediments
• Science of the Total Environment

Grants

2018: Awarded £21,000 - Research Grant. Wildlife forensics (Lead investigator)

2017: Awarded £60,000 – Research Grant. Wildlife forensics – assessment of zoonotic disease risks (Lead Investigator)

2017: Awarded £19,200 – Research Grant for consultancy work. Identification of per- and poly-fluorinated (PFAS) compounds within a simple model fire-fighting foam (Lead Investigator)

2017: Awarded £5,000 – Research Grant for consultancy work. Determining transisomerisation of tricresyly phosphates by palladium catalysis and the potential impact on aircraft air quality (Lead Investigator)

2017: Awarded £4,500 – Research Grant for consultancy work. Investigating illegal wildlife trade of ‘Hatha Jodi’(Lead Investigator)

2017: Awarded £1,500 – Summer studentship from RSC/BMSS. Determination of the chemical structure of antimicrobial substances from Viburnum opulus (Lead Investigator)

2017: Awarded £4,500 – Manchester Met. Staff incentivisation award (Lead Investigator)

2016: Awarded £311,836 – Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). Developing a real time sensor to monitor water quality (Co-Investgator)

Consultancy and advisory roles

2017: Chemistry Matters - I currently work as a consultant for Chemistry Matters (http://chemistry-matters.com/) providing assistance with environmental forensics investigations

2015: Canadian Water Network - I was part of the team who produced a gap assessment investigating Landscape Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Development and Operations on Surface Water and Watersheds

2013: SoBRA - I produced a Report in Risk Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Groundwater, Laboratory Analysis and Environmental Forensics

Community, charity and NGO links

I am curently colaborating with WAP (https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/) to combat wildlife crime

Prizes and awards

• 2014 - Best student presentation at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) International Network of Environmental Forensics (INEF) Conference
• 2013 - Best student presentation at the RSC INEF Conference
• 2010 - First place young member presentation at Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) annual meeting
• 2006 - Best student presentation at the RSC and International Society of Environmental Forensics conference

Expert reviewer for external funding bodies

I am curently a revier for:

The Royal Society of Chemistry Research Fund

The Royal Society of Chemistry ESED travel grants

Editiorial board membership

I am currently a guest editor for Emerging Contaminants and the Journal of Environmental Pollution

I am also the editor for the International Network of Environmental Forensics Bulletin

Membership of professional associations

• 2017 - Achieved status of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• 2017 - Elected member of the RSC Environment, Sustainability & Energy Division Council (ESED)
• 2015 - International Network of Environmental Forensics (INEF) Committee member
• 2014 - Achieved status of Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
• 2010 - Achieved status of Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
• 2010 - member of the Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA)