Soil Profile: Professor Keith Goulding FI Soil Sci, CSci

July 18, 2011

Professor Keith Goulding FI Soil Sci, CSci

Works for: Rothamsted Research

Education: BSc Chemistry and Mathematics (Exeter University)
                MSc in Soil Chemistry (University of Reading)
                PhD in ion exchange in soil (Imperial College, London)

Personal Interests: bird watching, walking

Burning Ambition: Another academic paper published in Nature

1) How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party?
I say that I work in agricultural research in particular looking at ways that farmers can produce food without air and water. People are usually interested because at the moment there's public interest in food and agriculture. There's lots of concern over food and environmental pollution, food security is back on the agenda etc. Soil is a critical part of growing food (90% of food is grown in soil). Good soil management is essential. I don't start with soil in the conversation because that can be a turn-off, instead I come at the topic from the application side.

2) What is ‘cutting-edge' about your work?
I'm involved in mitigating and adapting to climate change and I've contributed to various IPCC reports. I'm involved in looking at soil biodiversity using modern molecular methods: I interpret that kind of research in the context of better soil management. My work is very relevant to the current European framework directive and DEFRA's soil strategy.

3) What are the biggest implications your work will/could have in the future?
My main focus is to improve food supply and security. This is in the context recently stated by the secretary of state for the environment at the Oxford Farming Conference who said we have to produce more food, using fewer resources, and reducing the impact on the environment. Our work is anticipating climate change.

4) Describe some of the highlights of your average day.
Highlights would be a research paper accepted by Science, Nature, or another top journal. It might be a successful grant application or a successful presentation to the public or scientific peers, or a media interview.

5) Describe briefly how your career has progressed to date.
I left University and came to Rothamsted. I've been here since 1974. What I've done is unusual these days because research scientists usually move around to gain experience, but for various reasons I haven't. I came from a basic grade (graduate level) up through the various grades until now I'm a head of department and I'm an acting centre director.

6)How do you see your field developing over the next 5-10 years?
In the research institute it's contracting. The current economic crisis means universities are also seeing quite severe cuts. This is in contrast to what I see as the need - there's concern over food security, climate change, population increase etc....all these things require more investment. It ought to develop quite significantly over 5-10 years but the economic crisis might constrain that.

7)What's the most unexpected thing about your job?
I spend most of my time in front of the computer, despite being a soil scientist and still being involved in projects about soil science and agriculture. I do lot of office work and people management. It's useful for graduates to know that people management is a very big part of any kind of job especially as they move up in terms of seniority.

8)What's the biggest achievement of your career so far?
I have a Nobel Prize certificate. When Al Gore and the IPCC were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, the IPCC decided to thank all those people who were involved with a certificate. I also won the Royal Agricultural Society of England's Research Medal for my research into diffuse pollution from agriculture.