Biodiversity, Environment, Community and Sustainability Research Group (BECoS)
About us
The Biodiversity, Environment, Community, and Sustainability (BECoS) group is an interdisciplinary research team focused on understanding and addressing the complex relationships between environmental systems and human health. Our work spans scales from microorganisms to ecosystems and communities, with a particular focus on environments under anthropogenic pressure.
We combine advanced environmental science, including environmental analytical chemistry, proteomics, bioinformatics, geographical mapping, biomonitoring, and systems-based approaches, with applied environmental health practice to investigate the fate, transport, and impacts of environmental contaminants. This enables robust, evidence-based assessment of risks to ecosystems and communities.
A key strength of BECoS is our close engagement with environmental health practitioners, regulators, professional bodies, industries and local authorities. Through knowledge exchange and collaborative research, we ensure our work informs real-world environmental management, policy, and public health practice.
Our research contributes to sustainable, resilient environments and aligns with global priorities, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Projects
Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation via Remote Advanced LoRa-Driven Detectors for Heavy Metal Contamination (EMERALD)
Funding: British Council
Partnership: Middlesex University, Vellore Institute of Technology (India)
This partnership aims to create accessible, real-time solutions to track and address heavy metal contamination, fostering global efforts to restore polluted environments and protect biodiversity.
Clean Air Barnet
Partnership: Middlesex University, Barnet Council, Friends of the Earth Barnet, Mother’s Climate Action Network
Clean Air Barnet is a collaborative initiative focusing on improving urban air quality, engaging students and the public in environmental monitoring. We gather data that raises awareness, informs decision-making, and promotes healthier environments in Barnet.
Genomic and Microbiome Research on Collembola
Careers and Futures Internship
Our group currently provides students with hands-on experience studying Anurida maritima (seashore springtail), an intertidal species. This work explores how species adapt and survive in changing habitats, contributing to conservation research.
Microbial Assisted Ground Improvement Project
Funding: Network Rail
Partnership: Middlesex University, London South Bank University
This project explored the potential of carbonic anhydrase (CA)-producing bacteria to stabilise soils through calcite precipitation, creating a natural biocement that enhances soil engineering properties. This biotechnological advancement could offer an environmentally friendly solution for soil stabilisation in infrastructure projects.
Prioritizing Climate Actions Needs across Barnet - Mapping barriers to sustainability
Funding: Barnet Council
We worked with Barnet Council to identify the key challenges to sustainability in the area, helping local leaders make informed decisions on climate action.
Postgraduate research
- Factors influencing zooplankton communities in small freshwater lochs – 2024 MSc by Research
- Eavesdropping on speech in wild carrion crows – 2024 PhD
- Recovery of rare earth elements (REE) from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) through heterotrophic bioleaching – 2024 PhD
- Sustainable Urban Waste Management Through the Lens of Service Users – 2023 DProf
- Combining phytoremediation with bioenergy production; exploring options for sustainable remediation – 2022 PhD
- Advanced phytoremediation using soil solarization enhanced with biosurfactant as a novel approach for sustainable remediation of contaminated land in the Niger Delta, Nigeria – 2022 PhD
- Analysis of the microbiota of human milk and baby faeces in Nigeria, using molecular and culture-based approaches – 2022 PhD
- Evaluating the impacts of an urban catchment on water and sediment quality of a receiving river – 2021 PhD
- Enhanced vermiremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated land using biosurfactant: an integrated approach – 2020 PhD
- Intercellular production of Hydrogen peroxide in Solanum lycopersicum: an immune response to Salmonella infection – 2020 MSc by Research
Collaborations
Our team is part of an expansive global network, collaborating with leading institutions and experts to advance our research. Internationally, we partner with esteemed organisations such as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the University of Florence, the University of Cagliari, Luleå University of Technology, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vellore Institute of Technology, and Lincoln University New Zealand.
Within the UK, we work closely with highly regarded institutions including The Natural History Museum, Rothamsted Research, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Network Rail, Thames Water, Thames 21, Wester Ross Fisheries Trust, The Lundy Field Society, the London Borough of Barnet, Westminster City Council, King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, London South Bank University, the University of Aberdeen, and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
Media/Events
News
MDX students’ digital air quality campaign goes on display in Edgware town centre
Past Events
- Prof Diane Purchase Invited speaker: “Global Carbon Capture and Utilisation Trends and Future Vision”, at the 2025 Limestone Industry Carbon Neutrality Forum, 14 Oct 2025, Daejeon, Korea.
- Prof Diane Purchase Invites speaker: “Harmonising reporting standards and evaluating advanced carbon capture technologies” at the 50th World Chemistry Congress, 14-19 July 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Prof Lian Lundy is part of The Ripple Effect: Inspiring a Resilient Environment, a digital series produced by Content With Purpose (CWP) in collaboration with the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), highlighting the essential contributions of water and environmental professionals in creating impactful solutions for our evolving world.
- Prof Diane Purchase invited speaker and mentor at the Workshop “The role of Fungi in the Amazonian Bioeconomy”, 27-30 May 2024, Sao Luis, Brazil, supported by the British Council.
- Prof Lian Lundy invited speaker at the Webinar “Highway Runoff and the Water Environment: A Stormwater Shepherds-CIWEM launch”, 08 May 2024. Hosted by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and Stormwater Shepherds UK.
- Prof Diane Purchase, organiser of the Harmonising carbon sequestration measurement Symposium at IUPAC General Assembly, 22 August 2023, The Hague. Part of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), Division of Chemistry and the Environment.
Our staff
Group Lead: Prof Diane Purchase
Professor of Environmental Biotechnology
Co-lead: Salma Conner
Lecturer in Environmental Health
Valentina Basso
Lecturer in Environmental Health
Dr Perry Devo
Lecturer in Computational Chemistry
Hasan Erdogan
Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Occupational Risk Management
Prof Hemda Garelick
Professor Emeritus
Dr Huw Jones
Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry
Dr Shadi Khonsari
Senior Graduate Academic Assistant
Prof Lian Lundy
Professor of Environmental Science
Dr Leonardo Pantoja Munoz
Technical Tutor Analytical Chemistry
Dr Giovanni Quattrone
Senior Lecturer in Computer Science
Dr Martijn Timmermans
DoP Natural Science/Associate Professor in Biology
Dr Christophe Viavattene
Associate Professor of Environmental Sustainability
Dr Dirk Wildeboer
Senior Lecturer Bioscience and Biomedical Science
Julia Wilson
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health
Associate members
Dr Steve Kett
Visiting Lecturer
Dr Anne Ropiquet
Queen Mary University of London
Dr Adrian Barnett
University of Greenwich
Get in touch
For enquiries, collaborations, or more information about our research, please contact Prof Diane Purchase (D.Purchase@mdx.ac.uk)