Role
Dr Nicholas Midgley is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography and Personal Tutor for first year, second year and final year cohorts. He is the Module Leader for:
- Geographical Fieldwork (the focus of this module is fieldwork in the Almería region of SE Spain)
- Quaternary Environments (the focus of this module is fieldwork in north Wales)
- Glaciology and Glacial Geomorphology
In addition, Dr Midgley also contributes to modules including: Global Environmental Issues, Principles and Practice in Geography, and Dissertation.
Dr Midgley also leads the Natural Environment Research Cluster.
Career overview
Dr Midgley undertook his PhD at Liverpool John Moores University and subsequently worked as a Lecturer in the same department before completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and joining Nottingham Trent University.
Research areas
Dr Midgley's research interests include UAV aerial surveying (with Structure-from-Motion image processing), TLS surveying (for surface change over time), lake bathymetric survey, sedimentology, subsurface structure (using ground-penetrating radar) and geomorphology with recent (since 2010) overseas research undertaken in Falkland Islands (2023 and 2022), Albania (2023), Ireland (2023 and 2022), Norway (2022), Iceland (2022, 2019, 2017, 2013 and 2010), Italy (2017), Svalbard (2014 and 2012) and Sweden (2013).
To assist with drone/UAV use for teaching and research purposes, Dr Midgley has held a UK CAA Permission for Commercial Operation (PfCO) (2015—2020) and now holds a UK CAA A2 class Certificate of Competence (A2 CofC) (2020—2025) for UAV use in the A2 UAV category.
Postgraduate research students:
- TBC (starting October 2023) An assessment of environmental and anthropogenic pressures on peatland surfaces.
- Thomas Clewer (2022—date) Global assessment of fire management on peatland environments.
- Anne Stefaniak (completed 2021) Debris-covered glaciers: Assessing dynamics of European Alpine and Nepalese Himalayan examples.
- Guaduneth Chico León (completed 2020) An investigation of the potential of geospatial technologies to monitor and quantify changes in peatland surfaces.
- Dora Vataroglou (completed 2018) Colonisation of the glacier foreland of Svínafellsjökull in SE Iceland by Lupinus nootkatensis.
- Toby Tonkin (completed 2016) Structural characteristics of lateral-frontal moraines developed at Arctic and alpine glaciers.
- Helen O’Brien (completed 2009) The role of blanket peat moorland management in the generation and amelioration of discolouration of surface water supplies.
Opportunities to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil / PhD exist and further information may be obtained from the NTU Doctoral School.
External activity
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)
- Member of the Quaternary Research Association
- Member of the British Society for Geomorphology
Dr Midgley undertakes reviews for the following journals: Geomorphology, Remote Sensing, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, and others.
Sponsors and collaborators
Dr Midgley is currently collaborating with colleagues at:
- LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature
- Loughborough University
- University of Sheffield
- University of Dundee
Publications
Most recent publication:
Chico, G., Clewer, T., Midgley, N.G., Gallego-Anex, P., Ramil-Rego, P., Ferreiro, J., Whayman, E., Goeckeritz, S. and Stanton, T. (2023) The extent of windfarm infrastructures on recognised European blanket bogs. Scientific Reports, 13, 3919.
Press expertise
- Using UAV/drones to undertake aerial surveys
- Blanket bog geomorphology and erosion
- Glaciers, glacial sediment and glacial geomorphology
- Ground-penetrating radar use in glacial settings
- Glacier mice (jöklamýs or jökla-mýs)