Stuart Cairns

Dr Stuart Cairns is a Lecturer in Geography at Swansea University's School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. His research focuses on environmental remediation, particularly using biochar and carbonaceous sorbents to address water contamination from metals, microplastics, and nutrients. He holds a basic Welsh language proficiency and is available for postgraduate supervision.

Teaching expertise includes physical geography, geographical skills, and data analysis modules such as EG-283 (Mechanical Deformation in Structural Materials), GE-007 (Foundation Physical and Environmental Geography), GEG100 (Geographical Skills), GEG277 (Geographical Methods and Data Analysis), and GEG278 (Dissertation Preparation Skills). His work integrates laboratory and field-based methodologies.

Research interests span geochemistry, phytoremediation, hydrology, and thermal imaging applications. Key projects include the £211,929 grant-funded 'Remediation of plastic polluted water using biochar and steel industry waste' (2024–2027), collaborated with Dr Iain Robertson and Prof Peter Holliman. Recent publications emphasize biochar-amended solutions for mine water treatment and nanoplastic interactions.

Dr Cairns actively participates in interdisciplinary collaborations, presenting at conferences like IMWA 2022. His work bridges environmental science and engineering, prioritizing sustainable contaminant removal strategies using waste-derived materials.