Find Academic Supervisors

• Paleoclimatology
• Speleothem Research
• Climate Proxy Development
• +6 more

Professor James Baldini is a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University, where he has served as Professor since 2019 and Chair of the Board of Examiners. He is also the Director of the Sir Kingsley Dunham Palaeoclimate Laboratory, a position he has held since 2009. Previously, he progressed through academic ranks at Durham University from Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in 2006 to Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in 2010, and Associate Professor (Reader) in 2015. Dr. Baldini earned his PhD from University College Dublin (2000-2004), followed by postdoctoral research at University College Dublin (2004-2006) and a prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Bristol (2002-2003). His educational background laid the foundation for his expertise in paleoclimate reconstruction using speleothems. Professor Baldini's research specializes in developing and understanding climate records created using stalagmites. His primary focus involves applying high-resolution techniques to investigate scientific problems related to climate change. He is particularly known for his work on reconstructing tropical storm landfalls around the Caribbean region using stalagmites through the ERC-funded HURRICANE Project. His research also explores the connection between climate variability and cultural shifts during the Classic Maya Collapse, reconstruction of the North Atlantic Oscillation using stalagmites from Poland and Germany, and the effects of carbon dioxide in cave atmospheres on stalagmite climate proxies. His work bridges disciplines including climate science, geochemistry, archaeology, and volcanology, making significant contributions to understanding past climate systems and their societal impacts. Analysis of Professor Baldini's recent publications reveals a strong focus on interdisciplinary climate research with applications across multiple domains. His work spans paleoclimatology, archaeology, volcanology, and even planetary science (with research on Martian cave detection). A significant portion of his research examines the relationship between climate variability and human societies, particularly regarding the Maya civilization. His methodological approach consistently leverages speleothem (cave deposit) records as climate proxies, combined with advanced geochemical analysis and climate modeling techniques. The geographical scope of his work is global, with research sites across Europe, the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Professor Baldini has secured substantial research funding throughout his career, most notably an ERC Starting Grant worth 1.4 million euros for the HURRICANE Project. Other significant grants include NSF Collaborative Grants, NERC grants, Spanish Government funding, and Marie Curie fellowship support. His grant portfolio demonstrates expertise in securing competitive international funding across multiple disciplines. As an academic supervisor, Professor Baldini has mentored numerous students including Libby Hall, Erin Skillicorn, Joel Lozano Perez (PhD), Rachel Egleton (MScR), and Raquel Chun. He directs the Sir Kingsley Dunham Palaeoclimate Laboratory at Durham University, which serves as the hub for his research on speleothem-based climate reconstruction. His laboratory work combines field sampling in cave systems worldwide with advanced geochemical analysis and climate modeling to extract climate information from cave deposits.

John VavrinecView profile

Lecturer

• Marine Ecology
• Fisheries Management
• Coastal Ecosystem Restoration
• +4 more

John Vavrinec, PhD, serves as a Dive Officer and senior research scientist with the Coastal Ecosystems Team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)-Sequim, while holding a joint appointment as an oceanography instructor at Western Washington University. His career spans over three decades of field research in coastal and estuarine environments across North America, with extensive expertise in marine ecology, oceanography, and scientific diving operations. His educational background includes a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Maine (2003), BS in Environmental and Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1992), and AA in Liberal Arts Math and Science from SUNY Stone Ridge (1990). Professional certifications encompass NOAA Working Diver, NAUI Master Diver, TDI Rebreather Diver, and multiple advanced technical diving credentials. Vavrinec's research integrates basic ecological principles with practical conservation management, focusing on subtidal community dynamics, marine protected area effectiveness, and anthropogenic impact assessment. His interdisciplinary approach combines field studies on crab foraging, sea urchin demographics, larval transport, and fish behavior with large-scale restoration projects. Recent work emphasizes coastal habitat rehabilitation and human activity impacts on wild populations, requiring collaboration with fisheries managers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders. His publication record reveals consistent contributions to Columbia River estuary restoration, eelgrass rehabilitation in Puget Sound, and underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO) site characterization. Key research themes include cumulative effects assessment, adaptive management frameworks, and marine ecosystem response metrics to anthropogenic disturbances. 2010 Outstanding Performance Award for unparalleled teamwork and safety focus 2011 Outstanding Performance Award for Cumulative Effects Study support 2011 Team Of The Year Award As a PNNL STEM ambassador and Western Washington University instructor, Vavrinec actively engages K-12 students through the West Sound STEM Network. His operational expertise includes over 3,000 scientific research dives across diverse environments from the Gulf of Maine to the Pacific Northwest, supporting resource assessment, experimental construction, and underwater documentation for federal and academic projects.

• Time Series Econometrics
• Statistics
• Finance
• +7 more

Associate Professor Simon Kwok is an academic in the School of Economics at The University of Sydney. He holds a PhD in Economics from Cornell University (2012), along with a BSc (Hons) and MPhil from HKU. His research focuses on time series econometrics, statistics, and finance, with particular expertise in specification tests of time series and point process models, tests of Granger causality, and their empirical applications. His research interests span multiple areas of financial economics: Asset and Derivative Pricing High Frequency Finance Program Evaluation Market Microstructure Credit Contagion Financial Contagion Professor Kwok's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on cryptocurrency markets, financial bubbles, and high-frequency data analysis. His work often involves collaborations with researchers like Robert Jarrow and Michael Leong. His research has practical implications for risk management, portfolio construction, and understanding market dynamics, as evidenced by his 2023 study finding that high-risk cryptocurrencies generally underperform their low-risk counterparts. His notable scientific contributions include: Developing tests for autocorrelated jump occurrences in financial markets Studying asset price bubble dynamics and explosion time characterization Investigating Bitcoin spillovers and cryptocurrency risk exposures Creating the PCDID Approach for Difference-in-Differences analysis Professor Kwok supervises graduate students in econometrics, statistics, and finance. He is currently advising John BILSEL on "Long term Stock-Bond Correlation Dynamics." His work has received funding for research in financial econometrics and time series analysis, with applications to market microstructure and financial contagion. He is also a member of The University of Sydney Nano Institute, indicating interdisciplinary research interests that extend beyond traditional economics into complex systems analysis.

Herve MenardView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Forensic Science
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• +4 more

Dr. Hervé Menard is a Senior Lecturer (Teaching & Research) at the University of Dundee's Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, School of Science and Engineering. With a BSc in Chemistry/Physics (Brighton), PhD in Chemistry (York), and postdoctoral experience in Physics (York), his career spans industry roles at Omicron Nanotechnology and Sasol before joining academia in 2017. His research focuses on: Material transfer/persistence dynamics in forensic contexts Nanotechnology applications for evidence detection Development of field-portable analytical systems Surface science approaches to trace evidence New psychoactive substance characterization Recent publication trends show concentrated work in forensic chemistry methods development, particularly: Spectroscopic detection systems (2025) Trace evidence persistence studies (2025) Explosives research reviews (2025) Gunshot residue analysis improvements (2025) Awards include the Gold Engage Watermark (2019) for the 'Crime Lab Chemistry' public outreach initiative. He currently supervises three PhD projects on trace evidence innovation and regularly presents at international conferences including ENFSI and FINEX. Dr. Menard leads multiple projects including the INTERPOL Reports Explorer tool development, creation of forensic ground-truth datasets, and citizen science programs for material background abundance studies.

• Forensic Science
• Criminalistics
• Forensic Biology
• +3 more

Ljiljana Damjanović-Vasilić serves as a Full Professor at the Faculty of Forensic Sciences, University of Belgrade, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing forensic education and research through undergraduate, graduate, and specialist programs. Her academic leadership contributes significantly to the faculty's mission in criminalistics and forensic methodology. Her research spans critical forensic subdisciplines including: Criminalistics: Scientific analysis of physical evidence in criminal investigations Forensic Biology: DNA profiling and biological evidence examination Forensic Chemistry: Drug analysis, toxicology, and explosive residue identification Trace Evidence Analysis: Microscopic examination of fibers, hair, and glass Digital Forensics: Electronic evidence recovery and cybercrime investigation Forensic Toxicology: Detection of poisons and controlled substances Professor Damjanović-Vasilić maintains active scholarly engagement as evidenced by her current faculty listing and institutional email contact: ljiljana@ffh.bg.ac.rs .

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Site Characterization & Monitoring
• Novel Sensing Technology
• +6 more

Pradeep Kurup is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Francis College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell. With over 25 years of academic experience, he has established himself as a leading researcher in geotechnical engineering with particular expertise in site characterization, novel sensing technologies, and computational modeling approaches for geoenvironmental applications. Education: Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (1993), Louisiana State University M.Tech. in Civil Engineering (1987), Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, India B.Tech. in Civil Engineering (1985), University of Kerala, India Professor Kurup's research spans multiple domains within geotechnical engineering, with particular emphasis on multi-sensor data fusion, site characterization & monitoring, application of novel sensing technology to geotechnical & geo-environmental engineering. His work integrates advanced experimental techniques with computational approaches including finite element modeling and artificial neural networks. His research has evolved from traditional geotechnical methods toward innovative sensing technologies for environmental monitoring and hazard detection. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research combining geotechnical engineering with chemical sensing, machine learning, and nanotechnology. His work increasingly focuses on developing electronic nose and tongue technologies for environmental monitoring, explosives detection, and heavy metal characterization, while maintaining strong connections to traditional geotechnical applications. Selected Awards: University Professor (2014) - University of Massachusetts Lowell Diplomat Geotechnical Engineering (D.GE) (2012) - Academy of Geo-Professionals CAREER Award (1999) - National Science Foundation Departmental Teaching Award (2002) - UMass Lowell Member - Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society Professor Kurup has secured substantial research funding from the National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies, totaling millions of dollars over his career. His grant portfolio includes multiple NSF CAREER awards and REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) supplements, demonstrating his commitment to both research and education. He has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students through these research programs, fostering the next generation of engineers. His laboratory work focuses on developing innovative sensing technologies including the Electronic Nose Cone Penetrometer (ENCPT) for geoenvironmental site characterization, modular integrated cone penetrometers, and portable air samplers for detecting toxic chemicals and explosives. His research group collaborates extensively with industry partners and international institutions to translate laboratory innovations into field applications.