Professor David Gilvear

Research, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in field of physical geography, river science and environmental science and management.
Catchment and River Science (CARIS) research group at Plymouth.
Academic Lead on Taught Postgraduate Programmes for the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (formerly academic lead for Employability)

Qualifications

BSc Geography (1st class University of Southampton)
PhD Sediment transport in regulated rivers (University of Loughborough).

I moved to Geography at Plymouth University in September 2013 after 22 years in Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Previously a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham and Geography Teacher at King Edward VI School Southampton

Professional membership

International Society of River Science (President)
British Society for Geomorphology
British Hydrological Society

Roles on external bodies

Current

Teaching interests

Overview
I use my expertise and enthusiasm to teach the subjects and embedding generic employability skills into these subject:

• Fluvial geomorphology and hydrology (particularly channel dynamics and suspended sediment transport)
• 21st century river conservation and management
• Remote sensing of rivers
• River rehabilitation (channel design, environmental monitoring and ecosystem service assessment and mapping)
• Ecosystem services
• Wetland hydrology (including impacts of groundwater abstraction and dissolved organic carbon)

2. To use a range of innovative teaching methods including lectures, student presentations, computer packages, individual and group practical exercises and fieldwork.

3. To provide students with advanced technical skills to investigate hydrological, geomorphological and environmental management related problems to enhance their employability.

4. To incorporate my pure and applied research into my undergraduate and postgraduate teaching to provide real world case studies. This includes introducing students to new technologies (e.g. remote sensing for investigating hydrology and geomorphology).

5. To provide students with knowledge and skills to make them highly employable in the environmental sector through specialist knowledge, work experience opportunities including placements and generic skills

Modules (2018/19)

BSc/BA 

Staff serving as external examiners

Current external examiner commitments (2018)

Research interests

Overview
I am a central part of the Catchment and River Science Group (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/ceres) at Plymouth. My background is in fluvial geomorphology and hydrology but I now view myself as a river scientist. This is reflected in me recently having beien the President of the International Society of River Science. River science examines the interaction between hydrology, geomorphology and ecology in riverine ecosystems with the ultimate aim of informing and enhancing river managment and rehabilitation. My specific interest lies in understanding the behaviour of natural river systems, how river systems are impacted by human activity and how better we can manage river systems to meet the needs of the river environment and society in the 21st century. At times I also have been involved in research and knowledge exchange relating to wetland water budget quantification, vulnerability of wetlands to groundwater abstraction and dissolved organic carbon loss from peatlands affected by windfarm development.

Research highlights include:

• Pioneering the use of airborne remote sensing for mapping instream habitat and bathymetry.
• Early work on wetland water balance quantification in fens fed by groundwater.
• Showcasing the "natural recovery" of a wandering gravel bed river from hydromophic alteration; River Tummel research
• Development of conceptual approaches to understanding and mapping the multiple benefits of river rehabilitation and intact river system
• examining the dynamics of gravel movement following gravel augmentation programmes

Key areas of interest
Channel morphological dynamics to natural and human drivers
Quantifying river heterogeneity at multiple scales
Mapping and assessing river ecosystem services at reach and network scales
Remote sensing of rivers (Bathymetry, instream habitat and floodplain mosaics)
River rehabilitation - conceptual frameworks and post project monitoring.

Current and recent research students

Maarten Wynants - Soil erosion, sediment dynamics and ecosystem services in the Lake Manyara catchment, Tanzania (Will Blake Lead supervisor)  (Expected thesis completion 2019)

Victoria Keele - River ecosystem service supply and demand on Scottish rivers (SNH funded)  (Expected thesis completion 2019)

Clare Bithell - Riverine Ecosystems service mapping and assessment (Expected thesis completion 2019);

Fiona Thompson - Channel adjustment and fluvial hazards in Scotland.in response to climatically induced increases on flood magnitude and frequency (SNH/SEPA funded - PHD awarded 2017)

Ben Smith - Carbon fluxes and hydrological change due to wind farm development and moorland restoration (University of Glasgow, Passed viva 2016)

In total I have supervised or co-supervised 24 PhD students to completion

Other research

At Stirling in 2005  I set up and was the Director of the Centre for River Ecosystem Science (CRESS). This was submitted by Stirling University as an impact study for REF2014.

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Recently awarded PhDs (post 2010)

Victoria Milner (2011) Assessing the geomorphic and ecological validity of geomorphic river typing

Antoine Kerusore (2012) Aquatic vegetation processes in a floodplain-river system and the influence of lateral dynamics and connectivity

Melanie van Niekirk (2013) Carbon dynamics under changing land use from upland forestry to windfarm.

Ed Nelson (2014) - Hydropower development since 1942 in Scotland – a historical and environmental analysis. 

Alan Law (2014) - Effects of beaver reintroduction on rivers and lochs in Scotland 

Fiona Thompson (2017) - Changing flood frequency in Scotland: implications for channel geomorphology, ecology and management.

Grants & contracts

Research Funding (post 2007; excluding CRESS funding <£10K))

July 2007                    NERC airborne remote sensing award. Award of LiDAR flight River Tummel

January 2007              SNH; £58,750 Hyporheos meiofauna of Scottish rivers; pilot project prior to SNH 
                                    Funded studentship. With Dr Phillip Boon, Dr Nigel Willby and Simon 
                                    Rundle (Plymouth University).

October 2007             Scottish Power £42,000: Sediment and dissolved organic carbon loss impacts 
                                    from wind farm development; River Stinchar SAC, Funded PhD (£50K from                             Scottish Power) also starts October 2008.

September 2007         Murray Darling Basin Commission. AUS $40,000. Feasibility of fluvial surveillance 
                                   audit using remote sensing; a pilot investigation. With Michael Stewardson, 
                                    University of Melbourne.

January 2008              SEPA, £21000 Catchment scale river restoration in Scotland

July 2009                    NERC knowledge transfer grant Carbon Landscape and Drainage (2008-2011 - 
                                    £240000) with Ian Grieve

September 2009         Memorandum of agreement for 5 years of baseline monitoring in connection with 
                                    SWT/RZSS beaver reintroduction trial (£60,000 approx).

August 2010              SNH/SEPA studentship. Channel adjustment and fluvial hazards in Scotland in 
                                    response to climatically induced increases on flood magnitude and 
                                    frequency.   (worth £48000)

January 2011              Carnegie Travel Grant. Application of LiDAR to the measurement of channel 
                                   heterogeneity, Murray-Darling. In connection with visiting research fellow at 
                                    University of New England, Australia £2000.

January 2011      University of New England grant (with M.Thoms UNE), Application of LiDAR to 
                  the measurement of channel heterogeneity, Murray-Darling $8000.

September 2012    Hydromorphology of River Mashie. Cairngorm National Park Authority £12000

January 2014      National Farmers Union of Scotland; River flooding on farmland and flood 
                 defence measures (£2000)

March 2014       ISSR Automated mapping of ecosystem services on rivers.

September 2015   SNH River ecosystem services in Scotland £55K

November 2016   NERC Social-ecological resilience to soil erosion during extreme events: East Africa £199K (Co-I led by Will Blake)  

September 2018    West Country rivers Trust - Gravel monitoring on the River Avon, Devon (approx £12K

August 2018        West Country rivers Trust - Gravel monitoring below Sutton Bingham reservoir, Devon      (approx £12K)    

October 2018      Global Challenges Research Fund Hub bid (Named investigator - led by Will Blake) -£850K to Plymouth)    

Conferences organised

International Conference on Riverine Hydroecology including 10th International Symposium on Regulated Streams (TISORS II) and 2nd International conference on Wood in World Rivers (ISWWR II). University of Stirling

Member of Scientific Committee to 3rd International Society for River Science Symposium "Achieving Healthy and Viable Rivers", Beijing, China, 2013.

Member of the scientific committee, International Symposium on Ecohydraulics, University of Melbourne, February 2016

Other academic activities

Member of the Editorial Board of River Research and Applications

January 2011    Visiting research fellow, School of Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia

Feb-April 2011  Visiting research fellow, School of Earth Science and Geography, University of 
                       New England, Australia

Additional information

Outdoor and sports enthusiast interested in football, rugby, tennis, hockey, skiing, kayaking, running and trekking/hillwalking. I am having to resign myself these day, given my age and being a father, to more watching and coaching than playing! My wish is to have visited as many countries as my age and to always run 10km in minutes equivalent to my age!