Dr Mike McLaughlin: biogeochemistry expert

Dr Mike McLaughlin's interests lie in developing new approaches to the measurement and understanding of the behaviour of inorganic elements in the environment, including impacts on human and ecosystem health.

• 5 August 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities
• Background 
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Mike McLaughlin is Chief Research Scientist in the Environmental Biogeochemistry program of CSIRO Land and Water. As well he is Stream Leader of the Soil Nutrients and Contaminants Stream in CSIRO’s Agricultural Sustainability Flagship.

His other roles include:

• a con-joint Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences of The University of Adelaide
• one of the five international scientists on the Metals Environmental Research Associations’ Ecotoxicity Technical Advisory Panel
• President of the World Council of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Dr McLaughlin also manages research related to the Infrared Soil Analysis Service, which uses mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for the rapid non-destructive analysis of soil physical and chemical properties.

Background

Dr McLaughlin spent four years on CSIRO Land and Water’s Divisional Executive Team between 2002 and 2006, and steered the group through a major restructuring and an external science review.

He was also instrumental in the merger of the Adelaide research group with a companion research group of aquatic environmental scientists to form CSIRO’s Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research.

His research interests are now principally in:

• biogeochemistry of nutrients and pollutants in soils
• environmental chemistry and toxicology, specifically the assessment and remediation of contaminated soils
• advanced techniques to measure and monitor nutrients and pollutants in the environment.

Before joining CSIRO Land and Water in 1991, Dr McLaughlin worked as a research scientist at the Soil and Irrigation Research Institute in South Africa.

There he dealt with sustainability issues relating to wastewater and sewage biosolids disposal on soils, particularly relating to metals and phosphorus.

Dr McLaughlin has also worked on issues relating to acidic soils and reactions of fertiliser phosphorus and fluoride in soils.

From 1988-91, Dr McLaughlin was Technical Manager of the Australian Phosphate Corporation and Honorary Research Fellow at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, responsible for environmental issues relating to fertiliser use in Australia.

Academic qualifications

Dr McLaughlin has been awarded a

• Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Ulster, Ireland, in 1977
• Master of Agricultural Science with Distinction from the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom in 1979
• Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1986.

Achievements

Dr McLaughlin was instrumental in setting up the Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research and the Centre for Australian Forensic Soil Science within CSIRO.

His research provides the basis for management of cadmium in agriculture in Australia. He was also instrumental in establishing Australia’s National Cadmium Minimisation Strategy, serving as the inaugural National Coordinator from 2001 to 2003.

Dr McLaughlin sits on many national advisory committees and boards.

He has earned a number of awards:

• Researcher of the Year, Fluid Fertilizer Foundation, 2008
• International Award, Soil Science Society of America, 2008
• Fellow, Soil Science Society of America, 2008
• Fellow, American Society of Agronomy, 2008
• Inaugural Leo M Walsh Soil Fertility Distinguished Lectureship to the ASA-SSSA-CSSA 71st Annual Meetings, New Orleans, November 2007
• CSIRO Land and Water Partnership Excellence Award, 2005
• Winner of the Australian Water Association South Australian Water Awards for the project 'Providing the scientific framework for beneficial agricultural reuse of biosolids in South Australia', 2002
• William Culross Prize, 1989
• KP Barley Award, Adelaide, for the best PhD thesis in the Agriculture Faculty, 1986
• Adelaide University Graduate Union RC Heddle Award, 1984
• Norman Hunter Memorial Prize, University of Ulster, 1977.

Dr McLaughlin has also published five books, 24 book chapters, 149 journal publications, 45 refereed conference papers and 102 industry reports. His body of work has been cited more than 2 700 times.

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