Matthew Taylor
Researcher, Wetland Landscapes & Processes
About me
When I was younger, I had a big fascination with maps, flags, capital cities and countries, with my favourite topic at School being Geography. This led to me undertaking a BSc in Geography at the University of Gloucestershire. During my time there, I developed a strong interest in rivers through participating in fluvial fieldwork in Snowdonia and internationally in British Columbia. I chose to stay on at the University of Gloucestershire to study an MSc by Research in Environmental Sciences. My research topic looked into leaky barriers used for Natural Flood Management in the Cotswolds, with the two main themes looking at how leaky barriers acted in a range of different flow events and how leaky barrier age impacts the river system. Following this, I briefly worked as a Graduate Water Engineer before starting at WWT in August 2021.
My role
At WWT, I work in the Wetland Science team. My role here includes leading on fieldwork for the two Natural Flood Management projects in the Cotswolds and Somerset. This involves monthly riverfly surveys and water quality testing, as well as the occasional MoRPh survey. I am also using my GIS skills to support on the Roadmap to 100,000 ha of new and restored wetlands project.
Experience and interests
- Range of IT software including QGIS, ImageJ, AutoCAD and SPSS
- Fieldwork equipment/techniques including flowmeters, water quality probes and channel dimensions
- Ecological surveys including Riverfly and MoRPh
- Laboratory skills in sediment (suspended and bedload) and water quality analysis