Tom Sizmur

Email:
t.sizmur@reading.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0) 118 378 8913
Job title:
Professor

Responsibilities:

Programme Director for BSc Environmental Science
Leader of the Soil Biogeochemistry Group

Areas of interest

Soil organic matter biogeochemistry
Improving soil health by applying organic amendments
The impact of environmental change on soil biogeochemical cycles

Postgraduate supervision

Tom is happy to discuss proposals for postdoctoral fellowships or PhD studentships in any area of soil biogeochemistry, but particularly those interested in soil carbon dynamics and the improvement of soil health through the incorporation of organic matter.

He currently supervises the following postdoctoral researchers and PhD students:

Dr Gabriel Yesuf: FoodSEqual- "Co-production of healthy, sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities" funded by a BBSRC Transforming the Food System Grant
Edward Baker: Developing soil health indicators to inform land management decisions and increase crop yield and quality. Funded by a BBSRC studentship with CASE support from the Waitrose Agronomy Group
Chinoso Ogbuagu: Remediation of contaminated soils using biochar. Funded by The Petroleum Technology Development Fund
Harrison Frost: (University of Surrey) Do microplastics transfer potentially toxic elements from water to soil? Funded by a NERC SCENARIO studentship
Lottie Hawkins: Exploring the role of biochar to increase the sustainability of UK farming businesses. Funded by the Wilkie Calvert PhD Studentship
George Sawyer: Do cover crops increase the resilience and sustainability of the agri-food system? Funded by a BBSRC FoodBioSystems studentship
Christina Van Midden (Cranfield University) Manipulating the microbial legacy response to organic amendments for soil nutrient bioavailability. Funded by a BBSRC FoodBioSystems studentship with CASE
Ellie Barbrook: Optimizing soil nitrogen (N) in babyleaf salad crops for sustainable crop production. Funded by a BBSRC studentship with CASE support from the Waitrose Agronomy Group

Alumni he has supervised:

Dr Xin Shu: DIVERSE- DIVerse crop residues Engender Resilience of soil functions and Ecosystem services. Funded by a BBSRC New Investigator Grant
Dr Alfonso Rodriguez-Vila: Do biochar amendments reduce micronutrient availability in deficient soils? Funded by a Xunta de Galicia Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Research England GCRF Strategic Fund Development of Equitable Partnerships Project
Dr Henny Folorunso: How do earthworms and soil microbial communities interact to determine the fate of organic matter amendments to soil? Funded by a NERC SCENARIO studentship
Dr Dedy Antony: Factors affecting soil carbon storage at depth in agricultural systems in the UK. Funded by the Indonesian Government
Dr Jessica Ponting: Impact of extreme rainfall events on the mobility of potentially toxic elements in floodplains. Funded by a NERC SCENARIO studentship with CASE support from British Geological Survey
Dr Adetunji Alex Adekanmbi: Impact of climate change on soil respiration and resilience. Funded by a Commonwealth Scholarship
Dr Marijke Struijk: Can we make better use of crop residues? Funded by a SAGES/Faculty of Science studentship and the Waitrose Agronomy Group
Dr Betty Amponsah-Doku: Investigating the Contribution of Abiotic Stresses to the Ghanaian Cocoa Yield Gap. Funded by the Ghanaian Cocoa Board

Teaching

Tom has convened modules in Environmental Chemistry (Year 2) and Environmental Pollution (Year 3) that are core to the BSc Environmental Science Programme and modules on Environmental Consultancy, Laboratory Analysis of Soils and Pollutants and a Field Class that are a core component of the MSc Environmental Pollution programme and optional on the MSc Environmental Management programme. He also teaches on other modules, including an MSc module that focuses on Pollutant Behaviour in the Environment and a BSc module on Research Training for Geography and Environmental Science students.

Every year Tom supervises a number of BSc and MSc dissertation research projects.

Research centres and groups

Environmental Science Research Division

Background

Tom’s research interests span the biogeochemistry of soils in agricultural, natural, and polluted environments. His research interests particularly relate to the benefits that can be obtained from the incorporation of crop residues and other organic amendments into soils to recycle nutrients and feed soil organisms.

While there is widespread acceptance that increasing soil organic matter is a laudable aim and that organic amendments are a tractable means to achieve this aim, the objective of Tom’s research is to identify or develop strategies whereby the maximum possible benefits are obtained by the judicious application of situation appropriate amendments. Strategies under investigation include the application of biochar to tropical soils, and the use of cover crop green manure mixtures that provide benefits that are greater than the sum of the parts.

Tom is an Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, a member of the British Ecological Society and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Peer Review Colleges.

For more information on Tom's research, please see his personal webpage.

Publications

Ogbuagu, C. , Robinson, S. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2023) Feedstock nitrogen content mediates maximum possible Pb sorption capacity of biochars. Environmental Science: Process and Impacts ISSN: 2050-7895 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D3EM00246B
Antony, D. , Collins, C. , Clark, J. ORCID: 0000-0002-0412-8824 , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2023) Conversion of forest to cinnamon plantation depletes soil carbon stocks in the top metre of the tropical highlands of Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province, Indonesia. Soil Use and Management ISSN: 0266-0032 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sum.12974
van Midden, C. , Harris, J. , Shaw, L. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Pawlett, M. , Shaw, L. (2023) The impact of anaerobic digestate on soil life: a review. Applied Soil Ecology , 191 ISSN: 0929-1393 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.105066
Nannipieri, P. , Hannula, S. , Pietramellara, G. , Schloter, M. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Pathan, S. (2023) Legacy effects of rhizodeposits on soil microbiomes: a perspective. Soil Biology and Biochemistry , 184 ISSN: 0038-0717 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109107
Adekanmbi, A. , Dale, L. , Shaw, L. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2023) Differential temperature sensitivity of intracellular metabolic processes and extracellular soil enzyme activities. Biogeosciences , 20 (11). pp. 2207-2219. ISSN: 1726-4170 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2207-2023
Abdulla, M. , Castillo, A. , Collins, C. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2023) Ecological indicators and source diagnostic ratios of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments of Qatar. Regional Studies in Marine Science , 64 ISSN: 2352-4855 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2023.103042
Duddigan, S. , Shaw, L. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Gogu, D. , Hussain, Z. , Jirra, K. , Kaliki, H. , Sanka, R. , Sohail, M. , Soma, R. , Thallam, V. , Vattikuti, H. , Collins, C. (2023) Natural farming improves crop yield in SE India when compared to conventional or organic systems by enhancing soil quality. Agronomy for Sustainable Development , 43 (2). ISSN: 1773-0155 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00884-x
Albano, X. , Whitmore, A. , Sakrabani, R. , Thomas, C. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Ritz, K. , Harris, J. , Pawlett, M. , Watts, C. , Haefele, S. (2023) Effect of different organic amendments on actual and achievable yields in a cereal-based cropping system. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition , 23 pp. 2122-2137. ISSN: 0718-9516 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01167-w
Gerwing, T. , Allen Gerwing, A. , Davies, M. , Dracott, K. , Campbell, L. , Juanes, F. , Dudas, S. , Kimori, J. , Coole, S. , Kidd, J. , Thomson, H. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2023) Sediment geochemistry influences infaunal invertebrate community composition and population abundances. Marine Biology , 170 (1). ISSN: 1432-1793 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04151-7
Garau, M. , Garau, G. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Coole, S. , Castaldi, P. , Pinna, M. (2023) Biochar and Eisenia fetida (Savigny) promote sorghum growth and the immobilization of potentially toxic elements in contaminated soils. Applied Soil Ecology , 182 ISSN: 0929-1393 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104697

Adekanmbi, A. , Shu, X. , Zou, Y. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Legacy effect of constant and diurnally oscillating temperatures on soil respiration and microbial community structure. European Journal of Soil Science , 73 (6). ISSN: 1351-0754 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13319
Adekanmbi, A. and Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Importance of Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) for predicting the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. Frontiers in Soil Science , 2 ISSN: 2673-8619 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fsoil.2022.969077
Struijk, M. , Whitmore, A. , Mortimer, S. , Shu, X. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Absence of a home-field advantage within a short rotation arable cropping system. Plant and Soil ISSN: 0032-079X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05419-z
Frost, H. , Bond, T. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Felipe-Sotelo, M. (2022) A review of microplastic fibres: generation, transport, and vectors for metal(loid)s in terrestrial environments. Environmental Science: Process and Impacts , 24 (4). pp. 504-524. ISSN: 2050-7895 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1em00541c
Rodríguez-Vila, A. , Atuah, L. , Abubakari, A. , Worlanyo Atorqui, D. , Alhassan, A. , Coole, S. , Hammond, J. ORCID: 0000-0002-6241-3551 , Robinson, S. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Effect of biochar on micronutrient availability and uptake into leafy greens in two urban tropical soils with contrasting soil pH. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems , 6 ISSN: 2571-581X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.821397
Antony, D. , Collins, C. , Clark, J. ORCID: 0000-0002-0412-8824 , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Soil organic matter storage in temperate lowland arable, grassland and woodland topsoil and subsoil. Soil Use and Management , 38 (4). pp. 1532-1546. ISSN: 0266-0032 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sum.12801
Shu, X. , Zou, Y. , Shaw, L. , Todman, L. , Tibbett, M. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Applying cover crop residues as diverse mixtures increases initial microbial assimilation of crop residue-derived carbon. European Journal of Soil Science , 73 (2). ISSN: 1351-0754 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13232
Duddigan, S. , Collins, C. , Hussain, Z. , Osbahr, H. ORCID: 0000-0002-0130-2313 , Shaw, L. , Sinclair, F. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Thallam, V. , Winowiecki, L. (2022) Impact of zero budget natural farming on crop yields in Andhra Pradesh, SE India. Sustainability , 14 (3). ISSN: 2071-1050 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14031689
Amponsah-Doku, B. , Daymond, A. , Robinson, S. , Atuah, L. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Improving soil health and closing the yield gap of cocoa production in Ghana – a review. Scientific African , 15 ISSN: 2468-2276 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e01075
Omosigho, H. , Swart, E. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Spurgeon, D. , Svendsen, C. , Shaw, L. (2022) Assessing the efficacy of antibiotic treatment to produce earthworms with a suppressed microbiome. European Journal of Soil Biology , 108 ISSN: 1164-5563 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2021.103366
Ponting, J. , Verhoef, A. , Watts, M. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2022) Field observations to establish the impact of fluvial flooding on potentially toxic element (PTE) mobility in floodplain soils. Science of the Total Environment , 811 ISSN: 0048-9697 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151378
Garau, M. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Coole, S. , Castaldi, P. , Garau, G. (2022) Impact of Eisenia fetida earthworms and biochar on potentially toxic element mobility and health of a contaminated soil. Science of the Total Environment , 806 (3). ISSN: 0048-9697 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151255

Shu, X. , Zou, Y. , Shaw, L. , Todman, L. , Tibbett, M. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 (2021) Cover crop residue diversity enhances microbial activity and biomass with additive effects on microbial structure. Soil Research , 60 (4). pp. 349-359. ISSN: 1838-675X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1071/SR21105
Duddigan, S. , Fraser, T. , Green, I. , Diaz, A. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Tibbett, M. (2021) Plant, soil and faunal responses to a contrived pH gradient. Plant and Soil , 462 pp. 505-524. ISSN: 0032-079X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04879-z
Lind, K. , Siemianowski, O. , Yuan, B. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , VanEvery, H. , Banerjee, S. , Cademartiri, L. (2021) Evidence for root adaptation to a spatially discontinuous water availability in the absence of external water potential gradients. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 118 (1). ISSN: 1091-6490 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012892118
Kiss, T. , Chen, X. , Ponting, J. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Hodson, M. (2021) Dual stresses of flooding and agricultural land use reduce earthworm populations more than the individual stressors. Science of The Total Environment , 754 ISSN: 0048-9697 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142102
Ponting, J. , Kelly, T. , Verhoef, A. , Watts, M. , Sizmur, T. (2021) The impact of increased flooding occurrence on the mobility of potentially toxic elements in floodplain soil – a review. Science of the Total Environment , 754 ISSN: 0048-9697 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142040

Struijk, M. , Whitmore, A. , Mortimer, S. , Sizmur, T. (2020) Obtaining more benefits from crop residues as soil amendments by application as chemically heterogeneous mixtures. SOIL , 6 (2). pp. 467-481. ISSN: 2199-398X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-467-2020
Xia, H. , Wang, L. , Qiao, Y. , Kong, W. , Xue, Y. , Wang, Z. , Kong, L. , Xue, Y. , Sizmur, T. (2020) Elucidating the source–sink relationships of zinc biofortification in wheat grains: a review. Food and Energy Security , 9 (4). ISSN: 2048-3694 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fes3.243
Kelly, T. , Hamilton, E. , Watts, M. , Ponting, J. , Sizmur, T. (2020) The effect of flooding and drainage duration on the release of potentially toxic elements from floodplain soils. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry , 39 (11). pp. 2124-2135. ISSN: 0730-7268 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.4830
Duddigan, S. , Gil‐Martínez, M. , Fraser, T. , Green, I. , Diaz, A. , Sizmur, T. , Pawlett, M. , Raulund‐Rasmussen, K. , Tibbett, M. (2020) Evaluating heathland restoration belowground using different quality indices of soil chemical and biological properties. Agronomy , 10 (8). ISSN: 2073-4395 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10081140
Ganesan, S. , Bordoloi, S. , Ni, J. , Sizmur, T. , Garg, A. , Sekharan, S. (2020) Exploring implication of variation in biochar production on geotechnical properties of soil. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery ISSN: 2190-6823 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13399-020-00847-2
Sizmur, T. and Richardson, J. (2020) Earthworms accelerate the biogeochemical cycling of potentially toxic elements: results of a meta-analysis. Soil Biology and Biochemistry , 148 ISSN: 0038-0717 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107865
Richardson, J. , Görres, J. , Sizmur, T. (2020) Synthesis of earthworm trace metal uptake and bioaccumulation data: role of soil concentration, earthworm ecophysiology, and experimental design. Environmental Pollution , 262 ISSN: 0269-7491 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114126
Adekanmbi, A. , Shaw, L. , Sizmur, T. (2020) Effect of sieving on ex-situ soil respiration of soils from three land use types. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition , 20 pp. 912-916. ISSN: 0718-9516 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00177-2

Campbell, L. , Sizmur, T. , Juanes, F. , Gerwing, T. (2019) Passive reclamation of soft-sediment ecosystems on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Sea Research , 155 ISSN: 1385-1101 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2019.101796
Sizmur, T. , Campbell, L. , Dracott, K. , Jones, M. , O’Driscoll, N. , Gerwing, T. (2019) Relationships between potentially toxic elements in intertidal sediments and their bioaccumulation by benthic invertebrates. PLoS ONE , 14 (9). ISSN: 1932-6203 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216767
Campbell, L. , Wood, L. , Allen Gerwing, A. , Allen, S. , Sizmur, T. , Rogers, M. , Gray, O. , Drewes, M. , Juanes, F. , Gerwing, T. (2019) A rapid, non-invasive population assessment technique for marine burrowing macrofauna inhabiting soft sediments. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science , 227 ISSN: 0272-7714 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106343
Tibbett, M. , Gil-Martínez, M. , Fraser, T. , Green, I. , Duddigan, S. , De Oliveira, V. , Raulund-Rasmussen, K. , Sizmur, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-9835-7195 , Diaz, A. (2019) Long-term acidification of pH neutral grasslands affects soil biodiversity, fertility and function in a heathland restoration. Catena , 180 pp. 401-415. ISSN: 0341-8162 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.03.013

Rodríguez-Vila, A. , Selwyn-Smith, H. , Enunwa, L. , Smail, I. , Covelo, E. , Sizmur, T. (2018) Predicting Cu and Zn sorption capacity of biochar from feedstock C/N ratio and pyrolysis temperature. Environmental Science and Pollution Research , 25 (8). pp. 7730-7739. ISSN: 0944-1344 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-1047-2

Sizmur, T. , Fresno, T. , Akgül, G. , Frost, H. , Moreno-Jiménez, E. (2017) Biochar modification to enhance sorption of inorganics from water. Bioresource Technology , 246 pp. 34-47. ISSN: 0960-8524 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.082
Sizmur, T. , McArthur, G. , Risk, D. , Tordon, R. , O'Driscoll, N. (2017) Gaseous mercury flux from salt marshes is mediated by solar radiation and temperature. Atmospheric Environment , 153 pp. 117-125. ISSN: 1352-2310 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.01.024
Sizmur, T. , Martin, E. , Wagner, K. , Parmentier, E. , Watts, C. , Whitmore, A. (2017) Milled cereal straw accelerates earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) growth more than selected organic amendments. Applied Soil Ecology , 113 pp. 166-177. ISSN: 0929-1393 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.12.006

Lind, K. , Lee, N. , Sizmur, T. , Siemianowski, O. , Van Bruggen, S. , Ganapathysubramaniam, B. , Cademartiri, L. (2016) Plant growth environments with programmable relative humidity and homogeneous nutrient availability. PLoS ONE , 11 (6). ISSN: 1932-6203 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155960
Sizmur, T. , Quilliam, R. , Peregrina Puga, A. , Moreno-Jiménez, E. , Beesley, L. , Gomez-Eyles, J. (2016) Application of biochar for soil remediation. In: Guo, M. , He, Z. , Uchimiya, M. , (eds.) Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Biochar: Advances and Barriers. SSSA Special Publication Soil Science Society of America (63). ISBN: 9780891189671 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaspecpub63.2014.0046.5
Sizmur, T. , Godfrey, A. , O'Driscoll, N. (2016) Effects of coastal managed retreat on mercury biogeochemistry. Environmental Pollution , 209 pp. 99-106. ISSN: 0269-7491 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.11.016

Beesley, L. , Moreno-Jimenez, E. , Fellet, G. , Carrijo, L. , Sizmur, T. (2015) Biochar and heavy metals. In: Lehmann, J. and Joseph, S. , (eds.) Biochar for environmental management: science, technology and implementation. 2nd ed.. Earthscan , London. pp. 563-594. ISBN: 9780415704151