Biography
Nikki’s research background is in Physical Geography and Ecohydrology. Since 2016, Nikki’s focus has been science policy communication, project and programme management connecting water policy and science.
Nikki has been based at the James Hutton Institute since January 2010, initially to conduct fieldwork and laboratory work for her PhD, and since June 2013 as a member of staff within the Environmental and Biochemical Sciences group. From June 2013 to July 2014, Nikki coordinated the field and laboratory work of a small group within EBS to support research related to water quality, natural flood management and environmental monitoring. From August 2014 to February 2016, as a research scientist, she worked on research and commercial contracts related to water quality and wind farms, river restoration and macronutrients, and contributed to business development activities within James Hutton Limited, the Institute’s commercial subsidiary.
In 2016, Nikki joined the Centre of Expertise for Waters, CREW as a Project Manager, becoming Deputy Manager in 2022, and Manager in 2024.
Research
CREW delivers evidence needed to implement regulations on protecting and improving the water environment. Nikki and the CREW team coordinate expert advice for policy needs on ongoing and emerging opportunities and challenges in areas such as water quality & health, a net-zero circular economy & societal perceptions of water issues. The CREW team engage with a wide range of information users and communities, to maximise the benefits of the research to society.
CREW aims to:
- Deliver timely and accurate advice
- Coordinate and fund research, analysis and interpretation
- Stimulate innovative and proactive thinking
- Develop an ethos of co-production and genuine knowledge exchange
- Develop the networks and skills of researchers, policy makers and practitioners to make best use of available science leading to improved environmental, social and economic outcomes.
Past research
Nikki completed a BSc in Physical Geography at the University of Sheffield in July 2009, followed by a PhD in Ecohydrology at the University of Leeds and the James Hutton Institute (completed in February 2014). Nikki’s PhD, titled ‘Modelling the ecohydrology of moorland hillslopes’, investigated the effect of muirburn (heather burning) on the ecohydrological functioning of upland temperate hillslopes and combined field-based monitoring with a laboratory experiment and numerical modelling.
Publications
The following Publications have not yet been migrated to the James Hutton Institute's Pure service and relate to the research outputs from the two legacy organisations: The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and The Scottish Crop Research Institute.
Journals
Conference posters / abstracts
- Dodd, N.H.; Dunn, S.M.; Baird, A.J.; Wainwright, J. (2010) Exploring ecohydrological functioning through characterisation of spatiotemporal patterns in vegetation and soil moisture., EGU Leonardo 2010 International Conference “Looking at Catchments in Colours: Debating New Ways of Generating and Filtering Information in Hydrology”, Centre de Recherche Public Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg 10-12 November 2010.
