Profile
Biography
John Wilkinson is a Reader in Environmental Science in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York. He is an analytical chemist and environmental toxicologist. His research focuses on understanding the occurrence, distribution and impacts of chemical contaminants in the aquatic environment, with particular interests in pharmaceuticals, emerging contaminants and antimicrobial resistance. His research combines analytical chemistry with large-scale environmental monitoring, international collaboration and citizen science to better understand sources of pollution and identify effective approaches to environmental management.
A major strand of his work has focused on understanding pharmaceutical pollution at a global scale. John led the Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Consortium, an international network established to address major geographical gaps in our understanding of pharmaceutical contamination of rivers worldwide. Its landmark global study assessed pharmaceutical pollution at more than 1,000 sampling locations along 258 rivers in 104 countries, representing the pharmaceutical fingerprint of nearly half a billion people. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work received a 2022 Cozzarelli Prize, and the consortium was also recognised with the Times Higher Education Award for International Collaboration of the Year.
He is also Principal Investigator of Action for Quality Aquatic Environments (AQuA), a major NERC-funded citizen science programme bringing together researchers, regulators, the water industry, environmental organisations, and more than 1,700 members of the public across Yorkshire. His wider research profile includes major projects investigating chemical and microbial contaminants in the environment, the safe reuse of treated wastewater, and environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance. Before joining the University of York, he completed his PhD at Kingston University in London, investigating the environmental occurrence, bioaccumulation, fate, and distribution of emerging contaminants (including pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, illicit drugs and personal care products). He has also conducted research at the University of Colorado Denver on the environmental implications of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in aquatic ecosystems.
Alongside his research, John is Chair of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Pharmaceuticals Interest Group (global level) and a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also Programme Leader for the MSc in Environmental Science and Management at the University of York.
Career
| Reader in Environmental Science (promotion) |
Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK |
| Lecturer in Environmental Science |
Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK |
| Research Fellow in Environmental Chemistry |
Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK |
| Postdoctoral Research Associate |
Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK |
| PhD - Environmental Chemistry |
Kingston University, London, UK |
| MSc - Sustainability, Environmental Science and Change |
Kingston University, London, UK |
| BS - Integrative Biology |
University of Colorado at Denver, Colorado, USA |
