Dr Catherine Buckland

Catherine is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and Oxford Martin Fellow on the Oxford Martin School Dryland Bioenergy project, and a College Lecturer based at Keble College. At Keble, she is responsible for the delivery of the geomorphology and palaeoclimate teaching on the undergraduate Geography degree and contributes to the Final Honours School options course Dryland Environments.

After receiving a distinction in her MSc Quaternary Science degree from Royal Holloway, University of London, Catherine completed a DPhil at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Her research focused on using new methods for identifying dune system reactivation drivers and responses in the Nebraska Sandhills. Using a combination of machine learning and high-resolution luminescence dating techniques, Catherine’s work explored the relationship between historical surface disturbance events (e.g. 1930s US Dust Bowl) and sand movement, and the potential for predicting future sediment activation events.

Currently, Catherine is working on the geography-stream of the Dryland Bioenergy project, focusing on identifying and mapping the key criteria that will determine where CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism) species can be cultivated for bioenergy in the African context. Catherine is also using species distribution modelling techniques to spatially map the potential geographic limits of native CAM species at the local and national-scale. This research is part of a wider project looking at the potential for plant-based options to provide access to renewable energy sources in on- and off-grid locations across Africa as well as repurpose degraded lands and make use of existing plant residues.