Research Overview

Duncan has a background in Geography & Computer Science. He uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to visualise, integrate and analyse spatial data from a variety of different sources across the spectrum of Human and Physical Geography, Ecology and Environmental Science.

Published research

Duncan has published over 110 peer reviewed journal papers, including a publication from his PhD which was selected as one of the 16 most influential papers in the British Cartographic Journal over the last 50 years. He publishes in a wide range of geospatial journals including Applied Geography, Transactions in GIS and Remote Sensing of the Environment and air pollution journals including Atmospheric Environment, Science of the Total Environment and Environmental Pollution.

Duncan is an advocate of GIS being applied across the breadth of disciplines studied within the Lancaster Environment Centre and has supervised PhD students in fields as diverse as coastal management, urban development, landscape ecology, renewable energy and mapping trends in social media.

Duncan has received funding for his research from a range of organisations including:

• Biotechnology and Biology Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC)
• The Environment Agency

Recent research

Duncan’s recentt research projects include:

• ESRC funded ‘Belfast Mobility Project: Intergroup contact, segregation and the time-geography of sectarian relations in Belfast’
• Environment Agency funded ‘Breathe Easier: Resolving critical air quality problems with directional passive sampling’
• BBSRC funded 'CROPFALL: Crop Failure Assessment due to Lodging Losses'.

Roles

Teaching

Duncan’s teaching includes:

• First year undergraduate module: LEC.115 - Geographical Skills in a Changing World
• Second year undergraduate module: LEC.211 - Spatial Analysis and GIS
• Third year undergraduate module: LEC.314 - GIS: Principles and Practice
• Third year undergraduate module: LEC.301 - Dissertation with External Partner
• Masters level module: LEC.402 - Geoinformatics