Dr Naomi Holmes SFHEA
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography
Summary
I am a geographer who enjoys teaching students about, and in, the environment, and working with students to support them to succeed. Although my background is in physical geography I now teach into environmental science, geography and human geography courses. My research focuses on geography pedagogies in higher education, outdoor learning, accessibility of science and environmental change. As well as being an academic, I am an outdoor learning practitioner and have successfully integrated applied outdoor learning opportunities into the modules and courses I teach on at SHU.
About
I joined the Department of the Natural and Built Environment at Sheffield Hallam University in September 2015 as a senior lecturer in physical geography and enjoyed being the BSc Environmental Science course leader from 2016 to 2021. I currently teach on a range of modules which include fieldwork and skills teaching as well as subject specialist modules. My teaching is research and experience informed. I am a keen outdoor learning practitioner, have been awarded professional recognition by the Institute of Outdoor Learning and am an Accredited Practitioner - Institute of Outdoor Learning. I am a qualified Forest School Practitioner and a volunteer expedition leader and integrate these outdoor learning practices into my work at SHU. Prior to working at SHU I held several positions at universities in the UK and Ireland. I graduated from the University of Exeter with a BSc in Biology and Geography and then undertook a NERC-funded PhD ('Evaluating the use of subfossil chironomids for the reconstruction of Holocene climate in N and NW Iceland') at Exeter. During my PhD I spent three months with the Department of Biology at the University of Bergen in Norway as a Marie Curie Predoctoral Fellow. I then worked as a postdoctoral researcher on a number of projects at the University of Exeter and University College Dublin. Following my postdoctoral positions I was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Northampton.
Senior Lecturer
Teaching
Department of the Natural and Built Environment
College of Social Sciences and Arts
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I teach into environmental science, geography and human geography undergraduate courses. I teach on the following modules: Level 4 Fieldwork and Professional Skills in Environmental Science (module leader); Level 5 International Fieldwork Outdoor Learning Research Methods for Environmental, Geographical and Social Sciences (module leader); Level 6 Advanced Field Research (module leader) Dissertation Past Environmental Change (module leader) People and the Natural Environment.
I am an academic advisor to students at Levels 4, 5 and 6.
Research
I am an interdisciplinary researcher working in the fields of past environmental change, accessibility of science, and higher education research, including outdoor and experiential learning, digital learning, and assessment and engagement.
Current funded research projects:
I am currently principal investigator of a NERC funded project 'Enabling equitable cultures of knowledge and practice in physical geography and environmental sciences’ working with colleagues from the UK Geography Higher Education community.
I am working with colleagues from the SHU BMRC as co-investigator on a NERC funded public engagement project 'Everything is connected: linking historic heavy metal contamination and antibiotic resistance in Yorkshire soils in a codesigned research project'.
I am also involved in an outreach project funded by the British Society for Geomorphology and led by colleagues at Aberystwyth University 'Engaging new audiences through virtual fieldtrips'. Recent projects include:
• Student experiences of virtual fieldwork learning opportunities [as a response to C-19]
• Giving the students their (anonymous) voices: encouraging engagement in online sessions
• Producing a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) impact assessment and checklist for local field visits
• Perceptions of change in the local landscape
• Palaeolimnological evidence of Holocene environmental change in south east Iceland.
• Investigating landscape change in the Peak District
My research is interdisciplinary and as a result I am fortunate to work with many collaborators. This includes colleagues at Sheffield Hallam, at other higher education institutions, and at other organisations.
Publications
Journal articles
Kaufman, D., McKay, N., Routson, C., Erb, M., Davis, B., Heiri, O., ... Zhilich, S. (2020). Publisher Correction: A global database of Holocene paleotemperature records (Scientific Data, (2020), 7, 1, (115), 10.1038/s41597-020-0445-3). Scientific Data, 7 (1). http://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0515-6
Kaufman, D., McKay, N., Routson, C., Erb, M., Davis, B., Heiri, O., ... Zhilich, S. (2020). Author Correction: A global database of Holocene paleotemperature records (Scientific Data, (2020), 7, 1, (115), 10.1038/s41597-020-0445-3). Scientific Data, 7 (1), 246. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00584-1
Kaufman, D., McKay, N., Routson, C., Erb, M., Davis, B., Heiri, O., ... Zhilich, S. (2020). Publisher Correction: A global database of Holocene paleotemperature records. Scientific data, 7 (1), 271. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00611-1
Kaufman, D., McKay, N., Routson, C., Erb, M., Davis, B., Heiri, O., ... Zhilich, S. (2020). A global database of Holocene paleotemperature records. Scientific Data, 7 (1), 115. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0445-3
Hawkins, A., Sharpe, R., Spence, K., & Holmes, N. (2018). Inappropriate flushing of menstrual sanitary products. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management. https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/toc/jwama/0/0
Holmes, N. (2018). Mapping glacial landscapes: a case study from the Himalaya. Geography Review, 31 (4), 2-5. https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Holmes, N. (2017). Engaging with assessment: increasing student engagement through continuous assessment. Active Learning in Higher Education, 19 (1), 23-34. http://doi.org/10.1177/1469787417723230
Rodrigo-Rech, A., Dalsgaard, B., Sandel, B., Sonne, J., Svenning, J.-.C., Holmes, N., & Ollerton, J. (2016). The macroecology of animal versus wind pollination: ecological factors are more important than historical climate stability. Plant Ecology and Diversity, 9 (3), 253-262. http://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2016.1207722
Holmes, N., Langdon, P.G., Caseldine, C.J., Wastegard, S., Leng, M.J., Croudace, I.W., & Davies, S.M. (2016). Climatic variability during the last millennium in Western Iceland from lake sediment records. The Holocene, 26 (5), 756-771. http://doi.org/10.1177/0959683615618260
Turner, J.N., Holmes, N., Davis, S.R., Leng, M.J., Langdon, C., & Scaife, R.G. (2015). A multiproxy (micro-XRF, pollen, chironomid and stable isotope) lake sediment record for the Lateglacial to Holocene transition from Thomastown Bog, Ireland. Journal of Quaternary Science, 30 (6), 514-528. http://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.2796
Holmes, N. (2014). Student perceptions of their learning and engagement in response to the use of a continuous e-assessment in an undergraduate module. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 40 (1), 1-14. http://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.881978
Holmes, N., Langdon, P.G., Caseldine, C., Brooks, S.J., & Birks, H.J.B. (2011). Merging chironomid training sets: Implications for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30 (19-20), 2793-2804. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.06.013
Holmes, N. (2010). Palaeoecology, sedimentology and archaeology: investigating climate change and the adoption of agriculture in Ireland. Quaternary Newsletter, 120, 31-33.
Langdon, P.G., Leng, M.J., Holmes, N., & Caseldine, C.J. (2010). Lacustrine evidence of early-holocene environmental change in northern Iceland: A multiproxy palaeoecology and stable isotope study. Holocene, 20 (2), 205-214. http://doi.org/10.1177/0959683609354301
Holmes, N., Langdon, P.G., & Caseldine, C.J. (2009). Subfossil chironomid variability in surface sediment samples from Icelandic lakes: Implications for the development and use of training sets. Journal of Paleolimnology, 42 (2), 281-295. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-008-9276-5
Langdon, P., Holmes, N., Stefánsson, S.M., Hannesdóttir, E., & Axford, A. (2008). The 8th European Subfossil Chironomid Workshop, Reykjavik. Quaternary Newsletter, 114, 28-32.
Langdon, P.G., Holmes, N., & Caseldine, C.J. (2008). Environmental controls on modern chironomid faunas from NW Iceland and implications for reconstructing climate change. Journal of Paleolimnology, 40 (1), 273-293. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-007-9157-3
Holmes, N. (2008). Validation of chironomid-inferred temperature reconstructions in Iceland: The potential for reconstructing quantitative changes in holocene climate. Geographica Helvetica, 63 (1), 4-14. http://doi.org/10.5194/gh-63-4-2008
Langdon, P., Holmes, N., Stefánsson, S.M., Hannesdóttir, E., & Axford, Y. (2007). The 8th European Subfossil Chironomid Workshop, Reykjavik. Chironomus Newsletter on Chironomidae Research, 20, 10.
Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., & Holmes, N. (2006). Early Holocene climate variability and the timing and extent of the Holocene thermal maximum (HTM) in northern Iceland. Quaternary Science Reviews, 25 (17-18), 2314-2331. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.02.003
Conference papers
Biddulph, M., Collins, A.L., Foster, I.D.L., & Holmes, N. (2017). The scale problem in tackling diffuse water pollution from agriculture : insights from the Avon Demonstration Test Catchment programme in England. River Research and Applications, 33 (10), 1527-1538. http://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3222
Evans, J., Foster, I., Boardman, J., & Holmes, N. (2017). SMART – Sediment Mitigation Actions for the River Rother, UK. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 375, 35-39. http://www.proc-iahs.net/375/35/2017/
Lotter, A., Poska, A., Huusko, A., Lučeničová, B., Odgaard, B., Caseldine, C., ... Veski, S. (2008). The use of modelling and simulation approach in reconstructing past landscapes from fossil pollen data: A review and results from the POLLANDCAL network. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 17 (5), 419-443. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-008-0169-3
Book chapters
Holmes, N. (2014). Section 4.1.3: Chironomid analysis: background, methods and geomorphological applications. In Cook, S.J., Clarke, L.E., & Nield, J.M. (Eds.) Geomorphological Techniques (Online Edition). London, UK: British Society for Geomorphology: http://www.geomorphology.org.uk/sites/default/files/geom_tech_chapters/4.1.3_Chironomids.pdf
Holmes, N., Warren, G., & Davis, S. (2010). Palaeoenvironmental analyses from Cregganmore. In North Mayo. IQUA Field Guide No. 31. Irish Quaternary Association
Reports
Holmes, N. (2017). Canadian Yukon 2017 Science Report.
Holmes, N. (2017). Canadian Yukon 2017 Science Report.
Holmes, N. (2016). Indian Himalaya 2016 Science Report.
Holmes, N. (2015). Indian Himalaya 2015 Science Report.
Holmes, N. (2015). Arctic Finnmark 2014 Science Report.
Lewis, H., Gallagher, C., Davis, S., Turner, J., Foster, G., Courtney, L., ... Meehan, R. (2009). An integrated, comprehensive GIS model of landscape evolution and land use history in the River Boyne valley. Phase II Report. The Heritage Council.
Internet Publications
Brown, G., Holmes, N., Souch, C., & Thomas, N. (2022). Enabling equitable cultures in physical geography. http://doi.org/10.55203/lhmx2434
Presentations
Lacey, M., Schwartz-Narbonne, R., Holmes, N., & Rawlinson, K. (2022). Toolkit: making the most of public engagement. Presented at: Horizons in STEM Higher Education conference, London
Irvine-Fynn, T., Bridge, J., Griffiths, H., & Holmes, N. (2021). Immersive fieldwork learning through self-directed exploration of virtual landscape spheres. Presented at: 11th Enhancing Fieldwork Learning Showcase, Online
Holmes, N., Hawkins, A., Simpson, S., & Wharton, L. (2021). Student experiences of virtual fieldwork learning opportunities [as a response to C-19]. Presented at: Transforming Learning conference, Online
Buckley, B., Goldwood, M., Holmes, N., Dowey, N., & Hawkins, A. (2021). Producing a JEDI impact assessment and checklist for local field visits. Presented at: Transforming Learning conference, Online
Holmes, N., & Hawkins, A. (2021). Giving the students their (anonymous) voices: encouraging engagement in online sessions. Presented at: Transforming Learning conference, Online
Holmes, N., & Hawkins, A. (2021). Learning about the outdoors, indoors: encouraging individual engagement with learning and the environment through assessment. Presented at: Transforming Learning conference, Online
Holmes, N., & Hawkins, A. (2021). Learning about the outdoors, indoors: encouraging individual engagement with learning and the environment through assessment. Presented at: CHES Annual Forum (IES), Online
Holmes, N., & Hawkins, A. (2021). Giving the students their (anonymous) voices: encouraging engagement in online sessions. Presented at: CHES / IES Annual Forum, Online
Holmes, N. (2015). Boggy Places. Presented at: .PLACE. symposium: Celebrating ten years of Geography at the University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
Biddulp, M., Collins, A., Foster, I.D.L., & Holmes, N. (2014). Testing the efficacy of on-farm pollution mitigation measures in agricultural catchments in England. Presented at: International Association for Sediment Water Science Conference, Grahamstown, South Africa
Holmes, N., Warren, G., Davis, S., & Turner, J. (2013). Developing quantitative records of past climate and environment in Ireland: a palaeoecological, sedimentological and archaeological approach. Presented at: Subfossil Chironomid Workshop, New Forest, UK
Davis, S., Warren, G., & Holmes, N. (2010). Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological investigations of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in western Ireland. Presented at: Annual Conference of the Association for Environmental Archaeology, Kyoto, Japan
Holmes, N., Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., Thompson, G., Wastegård, S., Larsen, G., & Davies, S. (2010). Determining temperature changes in Western Iceland over the last millennium: chronological issues. Presented at: UCD Chronology Day, Dublin, Ireland
Warren, G., Holmes, N., & Davis, S. (2010). Climate change and the Neolithic in North Mayo. Presented at: Re-Framing the Neolithic, Dublin
Caseldine, C., Holmes, N., Langdon, P., Thompson, G., Wastegård, S., Larsen, G., & Davies, S. (2010). Determining temperature changes in Western Iceland over the last millennium: issues and results. Presented at: EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Turner, J., Davis, S., Scaife, R., Langdon, C., Holmes, N., Leng, M., ... Cummins, T. (2010). A multiproxy (pollen, stable isotope, chironomid and µXRF) record for the Late Glacial to Holocene transition from Thomastown Bog, Ireland. Presented at: EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Holmes, N., Warren, G., & Davis, S. (2010). Investigating the environmental and human history of north Co. Mayo, Ireland. Presented at: Wetland Archaeology in Ireland and Beyond, Dublin
Warren, G., Holmes, N., & Davis, S. (2009). Belderrig: extreme weather, climate and history. Presented at: Theoretical Archaeology Group 31st Annual Meeting, Durham, UK
Warren, G., Holmes, N., Davis, S., & Turner, J. (2009). Palaeoclimatology and Archaeology of a Prehistoric Landscape in North Mayo. Presented at: Dealing with Neolithic Landscapes, Belfast
Holmes, N. (2009). Climate change and the adoption of agriculture in Ireland. Presented at: Irish Quaternary Association Spring Meeting, Dublin, Ireland
Holmes, N. (2009). Chironomids and climate: investigating the adoption of agriculture in Ireland. Presented at: Chironomid Workshop, Copenhagen, Denmark
Holmes, N., Langdon, P., Brooks, S., & Caseldine, C. (2007). Comparing and merging chironomid training sets: implications for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Presented at: XVII INQUA Congress, Cairns, Australia
Holmes, N., Langdon, P., & Caseldine, C. (2007). Development of a high resolution chironomid record from Baulárvallavatn, W Iceland. Presented at: Chironomid Workshop, Reykjavik, Iceland
Langdon, P., Axford, Y., Holmes, N., & Caseldine, C. (2007). Holocene development of the Icelandic chironomid fauna: palaeolimnological evidence from lakes in northern Iceland. Presented at: Arctic Workshop, Skaftafell, Iceland
Holmes, N., Langdon, P., & Caseldine, C. (2006). Validation of Chironomid-Inferred Temperature Reconstructions in Iceland: The Potential for Reconstructing Quantitative Changes in Holocene Climate. Presented at: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA
Langdon, P., Holmes, N., & Caseldine, C. (2005). Environmental controls on modern chironomid faunas from NW and W Iceland: implications for reconstructing climate change. Presented at: EGU General Meeting, Vienna, Austria
Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., & Holmes, N. (2005). Palaeoecological Quantitative Estimates of the Extent and Timing of the Holocene Thermal Maximum in Iceland. Presented at: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA
Holmes, N. (2004). Reconstructing Holocene climate and environment in NW Iceland. Presented at: Chironomid Workshop, Barcelona, Spain
Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., & Holmes, N. (2004). Terrestrial Responses to Holocene Climatic Forcing – Examples from N/NW Iceland. Presented at: Arctic Workshop, Boulder, USA
Holmes, N. (2002). Comparing biotic palaeoclimatic proxies for the last 11Kyr from NW Iceland. Presented at: Chironomid Workshop, Exeter, UK
Posters
Walton, S., Holmes, N., Storrar, R., Bridge, J., Ewertowski, M., Tomczyk, A., & Jones, A. (2022). Upland deglaciation since the Little Ice Age at Skálafellsjökull, southeast Iceland. Presented at: Quaternary Research Association Annual Discussion Meeting, Online, Sheffield
Rivers, G., Burr, I., Storrar, R., Jones, A., & Holmes, N. (2022). Pattern and morphometry of Crevasse Squeeze Ridges, Northwest Territories, Canada. Presented at: Quaternary Research Association Annual Discussion Meeting, Online
Holmes, N., Hawkins, A., Simpson, S., & Wharton, L. (2021). Student experiences of virtual fieldwork learning opportunities [as a response to C-19]. Presented at: BSG Annual Meeting, Online
Walton, S., Holmes, N., Storrar, R., & Bridge, J. (2021). Climate and Environmental Change in Southeast Iceland. Presented at: BSG Annual Meeting, Online
Schwartz-Narbonne, R., Oladapo, O., Rahim, A.H., Holmes, N., & Lacey, M. (2021). Investigating the role of coal mine water heavy metal contamination to antibiotic resistance in Sheffield soil microbes. Presented at: BSG Annual Conference, Online
Storrar, R., Holmes, N., & Bradwell, T. (2019). A refined size frequency approach to lichenometric dating and spreadsheet for surface age estimations. Presented at: British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting, Sheffield
Holmes, N., & Lem, R. (2016). Wild science: undertaking geomorphological research on youth expeditions. Presented at: British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting, Plymouth, 2016
Holmes, N., Storrar, R., Wright, H., Stefaniak, A., Cranmer, R., Feng, H., ... Sterrow, C. (2016). Investigating recent environmental change through geomorphological mapping of glacial landforms in Ladakh, India: a geomorphological outreach project. Presented at: British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting, Plymouth, 2016
Sharpe, R., Holmes, N., & Douterelo, I. (2016). A methodological proposal to investigate the long term storage of pollutants in freshwater sediment biofilms and their response to environmental disturbances. Presented at: British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting, Plymouth, 2016
Holmes, N., Warren, G., Davis, S., Turner, J., McCarron, S., Leng, M., & Brooks, S. (2010). Developing quantitative records of past climate and environment in Ireland: a palaeoecological, sedimentological and archaeological approach. Presented at: EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Cunningham, L., Holmes, N., Bigler, C., Dadal, A., Bergman, J., Caseldine, C., & Langdon, P. (2010). Reconstructing temperatures from lake sediments in northern Europe: what do the biological proxies really tell us? Presented at: EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Holmes, N., Davis, S., & Warren, G. (2009). Palaeoecology, sedimentology and archaeology: beginning to untangle the environmental and human history of Belderrig, north County Mayo, Ireland. Presented at: Association for Environmental Archaeology 30th Anniversary Meeting: Environmental Archaeology in a Changing World, York, UK
Davis, S., Holmes, N., & Warren, G. (2009). Climate change and the adoption of agriculture in Ireland. Presented at: Quaternary Research Association Annual Discussion Meeting, Oxford, UK
Holmes, N., Davis, S., & Warren, G. (2009). Climate change and the adoption of agriculture in Ireland. Presented at: Irish Quaternary Association Meeting, Dublin, Ireland
Langdon, P., Caseldine, C., Holmes, N., Thompson, G., & Croudace, I. (2007). Climate over the last Millennium in western Iceland: lacustrine evidence from Baulárvallavatn. Presented at: XVII INQUA Congress, Cairns, Australia
Langdon, P., Caseldine, C., Holmes, N., Thompson, G., Croudace, I., & Leng, M. (2007). Climate of the last Millennium in Iceland: as assessment of the sediments from Baulárvallavatn, W Iceland. Presented at: Arctic Workshop, Skaftafell, Iceland
Holmes, N., Langdon, P., Caseldine, C., & Thompson, G. (2007). Development of a high resolution chironomid record from Baulárvallavatn, W Iceland. Presented at: Arctic Workshop, Skaftafell, Iceland
Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., & Holmes, N. (2006). Quantitative Terrestrial Palaeoclimatic Records From Iceland: A Comparison With Marine Data. Presented at: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA
Caseldine, C., Langdon, P., & Holmes, N. (2003). Biological proxies for Holocene climate change in Iceland – Patterns and Issues. XVI INQUA Congress, Reno. Presented at: XVI INQUA Congress, Reno, USA
Other publications
Holmes, N. (2014). Science Report.
Other activities
Membership of Professional Bodies:
• Higher Education Academy (Senior Fellow)
• Institute of Outdoor Learning (Professional member and Accredited Practitioner)
• Quaternary Research Association
• Royal Geographical Society (Fellow)
• RGS-IBG Geography and Education Research Group (Ordinary Committee Member) External Examining
• BSc Environmental Science at the University of Plymouth (2021 - to date)
• BSc Environmental Science at the University of Central Lancashire (2019 - to date)
• BSc Geography and Archaeology at the University of Brighton (2014 - 2018).
Other:
• Member of the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement Advisory Group for Geography (2021/22)
• RGS / GeogEd Teaching and Scholarship Forum coordinator
Postgraduate supervision
I am interested in supervising projects on topics related to environmental change, outdoor learning and fieldwork, and higher education pedagogies. Please do get in touch if you have an idea and want an informal chat.
Research students:
• Gwyn Rivers: Using transverse ridge morphometry to understand ice sheets in high spatiotemporal resolution (2021 - to date)
• Sarah Walton: Holocene climate and environmental change in south east Iceland (2020 - to date)
• Matilda Biddulph: Testing the effectiveness of mitigation measures for reducing delivery of fine sediment and associated contaminants to and through watercourses in agricultural catchments of England and Wales (PhD awarded 2017)