Nia Gray-Wannell

PhD Student
Environmental and Biochemical Sciences
E: nia.gray-wannell@hutton.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

Nia graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2011 with a Masters in Chemistry with Industrial Experience, as part of her degree Nia spent one year working in the James Hutton Institute conducting work on PLFAs using GC-C-IRMS. Nia’s masters dissertation was focused on carbon nanotube research and was entitled “Functionalisation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with ethylenediamine”.

After graduating Nia spent time in France as part of the EU funded Leonardo Da Vinci scheme and worked in scientific communications for a pharmaceutical company before returning to the UK and a job as a reserach assistant in the XRD department at the James Hutton Institute. As part of the research assistant role Nia conducted commerical analysis using XRD and ancillory techniques. In addition, Nia worked on various method development projects, the most used being the now UKAS accredited cobalt hexammine trichloride CEC method. Nia began a PhD in July 2017 funded by the MDT and in collaboration with the James Hutton Institute, Swansea Univeristy and Durham University entitled "Surface chemistry of halloysite nanotubes.

Biography

Conference/meeting presentations:

  • 2015: Euroclay, Edinburgh – Oral presentation – “An investigation into the pH effects on the CEC of halloysite.”

  • 2017: Clay Minerals Group, Research in Progress meeting – Oral presentation – “The adsoprtion of phosphate by halloysite nanotubes.”

  • 2017: International Clay Conference (ICC), Granada – Oral presentation – “The adsorption of phosphate by halloysite nanotubes.”

  • 2019: Macaulay Development Trust lecture, poster- “Surface chemistry of kaolin minerals.”

  • 2018: Mid-European Clay Conference (MECC), Zagreb – Oral presentation – “Investigation of the surface sites of tubular halloysite using phosphate anions.”

  • 2019: Euroclay, Paris – Oral presentation – “Aspects of the surface and internal structure of halloysite nanotubes as revealed by various microscopy methods.”

  • 2019: Macaulay Development Trust lecture, poster – “Use of neutron scattering and diffraction to study interlayer water in halloysite nanotubes.”

Committees and professional accreditations:

  • Registered scientist with the RSC

  • 2017-2019 – Ordinary member of the Aberdeen and North East Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry

  • 2019-current – Secretary for the Aberdeen and North East Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Research

PhD Studentship

Surface Chemistry of Kaolin Clay Minerals and the Prediction of Soil Adsorption Properties

Past research

Nia’s work involved both commercial and research projects employing the technique of X-Ray Powder Diffraction.

Publications

Journals

Conference papers

  • Hillier, S.; Pendlowski, H.; Fraser, T.; Robertson, J.; Delbos, E.; Phillips, I.; Gray, N.; Wilson, I. (2013) Tubular halloysite., Minerals for Life, Appleton Tower, Edinburgh, 17-19 June 2013.

Conference posters

  • Gray, N.; Hillier, S; Lumsdon, D.G; Holliman, P.; Gresswell, C. (2018) Adsorption/desorption of phosphate anions by halloysite nanotubes (HNTs)., The James Hutton Institute PhD Student Retreat, Birnam, Dunkeld, 8 March 2018. (Poster).
  • Hillier, S.; Pendlowski, H.; Fraser, T.; Robertson, J.; Delbos, E.; Phillips, I.; Gray, N.; Wilson, I. (2015) Correlations among mineralogical and physical properties of halloysite nano-tubes (HNTs)., Euroclay 2015 Conference, Edinburgh University, 5-10 July 2015.