About

I am a Lecturer in Zero Carbon. My research focuses on the development and application of novel, accessible technologies to help us better understand the world around us. My expertise is in low-cost hyperspectral imaging instruments for environmental monitoring. I have developed several novel instruments which I have applied to both laboratory and field-based applications in the UK and overseas. I also work closely with industry, focusing on novel approaches to develop zero-carbon technologies.

Research interests

My research focuses on the development and application of low-cost spectral imaging instruments for environmental monitoring. I am particularly interested in applications in more extreme environmental settings, such as those found in glacial regions, where I aim to provide novel, accessible approaches to monitor more challenging and difficult-to-access locations. I am also interested in applications across other areas of environmental monitoring, such as peatlands and grasslands, and industrial applications focused on decarbonisation.

Membership of professional bodies

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Environmental Science and Outdoor Education - University of Stirling
• MSc Glaciology - Aberystwyth University
• PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering - University of Sheffield

Experience in industry

I spent six months working in industry before joining the University of Derby and continue to maintain close connections with industrial collaborators. 

In the media

Press releases

• "EEE research shows how a smartphone can reduce the cost of hyperspectral imaging", University of Sheffield Press Release (8th September 2021)

Editorial Images

• "Scientists seeking to quantify methane drill to the bottom of a glacier on the Greenland Ice Sheet", Getty Images 2024

Recent publications

• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Fisk, C., Allen, E., Sole, A.J., Ing, R., Hobbs, M.J., Willmott, J.R. (2024) Smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging for ice sheet and proglacial applications in South-West Greenland. Science of the Total Environment
• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) Peatland Plant Spectral Response as a Proxy for Peat Health, Analysis Using Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques. Remote Sensing 
• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., Pering, T.D., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) High-Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging Using Low-Cost Components: Application within Environmental Monitoring Scenarios. Sensors
• Davies, M., Stuart, M.B., Hobbs, M.J., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) Image Correction and In Situ Spectral Calibration for Low-Cost, Smartphone Hyperspectral Imaging. Remote Sensing
• Stuart, M.B., McGonigle, A.J.S., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., Boone, N.A., Stanger, L.R., Zhu, C., Pering, T.D., Willmott, J.R. (2021) Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging with a Smartphone. Journal of Imaging
• Stuart, M.B., Stanger, L.R., Hobbs, M.J., Pering, T.D., Thio, D., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2020) Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging System: Design and Testing for Laboratory-Based Environmental Applications. Sensors
• Stuart, M.B., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2019) Hyperspectral Imaging in Environmental Monitoring: A Review of Recent Developments and Technological Advances in Compact Field Deployable Systems. Sensors