Contact Details 

Dr. Ray Fynn, Lecturer in Environmental Hydrology

Degrees:
1989 B.A. (Hons) Geology - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

1990 M.Sc. Hydrogeology - University of Birmingham, UK.

2004 Ph.D. Microbiology/Hydrogeology - University of Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Brief Description	Since completing his MSc, Dr. Flynn has worked in commercial, governmental research and academic institutions in Ireland, Mainland Europe and North America. During this time he gained experience in theoretical and practical aspects of topics ranging from the hydrogeology of wetlands to the characterization/remediation of contamination from various industrial activities. This experience provided a useful background for further developing his academic expertise when he completed his PhD thesis on the topic of micro organism transport and attenuation in gravel aquifers, in 2004. Since this time, Dr. Flynn has been employed as a lecturer/researcher, initially at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, where he taught courses related to pathogen transport in groundwater and Quaternary hydrogeology, before taking up his current position at Queens University Belfast. He has worked at QUB since September 2005.
Teaching Interests	Current teaching interests include:   » Applied (Engineering) Geology: Taught to Level II Civil Engineering students. A course teaching fundamental topics in geology and how they may be related and applied to Civil Engineering practice.   » Hydrogeology: Taught to MSc Environmental Engineering Students and Level IV (M.Eng.) Civil Engineering students. A course demonstrating the role of groundwater in the natural and built environment and how hydrogeological principles can be applied to solve problems routinely encountered in Civil and Environmental Engineering.   » Communications: Taught to Level II Civil Engineering students. A second level course further emphasizing the importance of communication skills in engineering practice. The course helps students develop interview/presentation skills with particular emphasis on public speaking/group presentation and the use of visual aids to enhance the communication process.
Administrative Responsibilities	Course Administrator for Level I Civil Engineering students.
Research Interests	Research interests incorporate the following range of topics:   » The hydrogeology of Quaternary deposits.   » Wetland hydrology/hydrogeology and the inter relationship between wetlands the hydrogeology of surrounding areas.   » Transport and attenuation of pathogens in groundwater.   » The role of organic matter in influencing contaminant transport through porous and fissured aquifers.   » Development and application of intermediate technology treatment systems for water purification.   » Development and application of new tools for aquifer characterization, particularly in relation to contaminant transport.   » The impact of mining on groundwater quality and its environmental impact.
Publications	Selected Publications: 1. Flynn, R., Hunkeler, D., Guerin, C., Burn, C., Rossi, P. and Arano, M. (2004) "Geochemical influence on H40/l bacteriophage inactivation in glaciofluvial sands", Environmental Geology, Vol 45(4) 504-518. 2. Flynn, R., Rossi, P. and Hunkeler, D. (2004) "Investigation of virus attenuation mechanisms in a fluvioglacial sand suing column experiments" FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol 49 83-95. 3. Flynn, R. Cornaton, F., Hunkeler, D. and Rossi, P. (2004) "Bacteriophage transport through fining-upwards sedimentary sequence: laboratory experiments and simulation", Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol 74 231-252. 4. Flynn, R., Schnegg, P.A., Costa, R., Mallen, G. and Zwallen, F (2005) "Identification of zone of preferential groundwater tracer transport using a mobile downhole flourometer", Hydrogeology Journal, Vol 13 (2): 366-377. 5. Flynn, R., Hacini, Y. Schnegg, P.A-., Costa, R., and Diomande, K.A. "Use of Tracer Tests and Geophysical Logging to Understand Solute and Micro-organism Tracer Responses in Monitoring Wells with Long Screen Intervals in a Gravel Aquifer.", Beitrage zur Hydrogeologie (in press). 6. Mallen G, Maloszewski P, Flynn R, Rossi P, Engel M, Seiler KP, (2005) "Determination of bacterial and viral transport parameters in a gravel aquifer assuming linear kinetic sorption and desorption", Journal of Hydrology, 306 (1-4): 21-36.