Contact
S cotland’s Rural College (SRUC, Crop and Soil Systems Research Group,
West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK t: 0131 535 4311 e: Bryan.Griffiths@sruc.ac.uk
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Applied Biology, Liverpool Polytechnic, 1979
PhD Plant Pathology, University of Dundee, 1982
Career
2013-present Professor of Soil Ecology, SRUC, Edinburgh.
2012-2013 Soil Scientist, SRUC, Edinburgh.
2008 Acting Head of Department, Teagasc, Wexford, Ireland.
2008-2012 SFI Stokes Professor of Soil Science, Teagasc, Wexford, Ireland.
2002-2008 Associate Programme Leader, SCRI, Dundee.
1994-2002 Principal Scientific Officer (Band 4), SCRI, Dundee.
1989-1994 Senior Scientific Officer (Band 5), SCRI, Dundee.
1987-1989 Higher Scientific Officer (Band 6), SCRI, Dundee.
1983-1987 Higher Scientific Officer (Band 6), MLURI, Aberdeen.
Role and responsibilities
Bryan Griffiths is a Professor in Soil Ecology in SRUC’s Crop and Soil Systems Research
Group. He has investigated many aspects of the soil food web, emphasising the role and bioindication potential of nematodes, and microbial/faunal interactions with plants and the rhizosphere. Soil quality and the role of the food web in nutrient cycling and disease suppression have been consistent themes, while biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil systems led to some key work on soil resilience. Project management experience has included European projects on soil biodiversity (EcoFINDERS) below-ground effects of GM crops (ECOGEN) and co-ordination of national projects and wide collaboration with other research groups. He is field editor for the European Journal of Soil Biology and is on the editorial board of several other soil related journals. Over 170 research publications with an H index of 43.
Recent Publications
Song, X., Liu, M., Wu, D., Griffiths, B.S., Jiao, J., Li, H. and Hu, F. (2015). Interaction matters:
Synergy between vermicompost and PGPR agents improves soil quality, crop quality and crop yield in the field. Applied Soil Ecology 89 : 25
–34.
Fox, A., Kwapinski, W., Griffiths, B.S. and Schmalenberger, A. (2014) The role of sulfur- and phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria in biochar-induced growth promotion of Lolium perenne.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology 90 : 78-91.
Chen, X.Y., Daniell, T.J., Neilson, R., O’Flaherty, V. and Griffiths, B.S. (2014) Microbial and microfaunal communities in phosphorus limited, grazed grassland change composition but maintain homeostatic nutrient stoichiometry. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 75 : 94-101.
Jones, C.M., Spor, A., Brennan, F.P., Breuil, M-C., Bru, D., Lemanceau, P., Griffiths, B.S.,
Hallin, S. and Philippot, L. (2014) Recently identified microbial guild mediates soil N
2
O sink capacity. Nature Climate Change 4 : 801-805.
Ball, B.C., Grifiths, B.S., Topp, C.F.E., Wheatley, R.E., Walker, R.L., Rees, R.M., Watson,
C.A., Gordon, H., Hallett, P.D., McKenzie, B.M. and Nevison, I.M. (2014) Seasonal nitrous oxide emissions from field soils under reduced tillage, compost application or organic farming.
Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 189 : 171 –180.

Ernfors, M., Brennan, F. P., Richards, K.G., McGeough, K.L., Griffiths, B.S., Laughlin, R.J.,
Watson, C.J., Philippot, L., . Grant, J., Minet, E.P., Moynihan, E. AND Müller, C. (2014). The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide increases mineralization – immobilization turnover in slurryamended grassland soil. Journal of Agricultural Science 152 : S137 – S149.
Brennan, F.P., Moynihan, E., Griffiths, B.S., Hillier, S., Owen, J., Pendlowski, H and Avery, L.
(2014) Clay mineral type effect on bacterial enteropathogen survival in soil. Science of the
Total Environment 468 –469 : 302 –305.
Wu, Y., Jiang, Y., Jiao, J., Liu, M., Hu, F., Griffiths, B.S. and Li, H. (2013) Adsorption of
Trametes versicolor laccase to soil iron and aluminium minerals: Enzyme activity, kinetics and stability studies. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
Tan, H., Barret, M., Mooji, M.J., RicE, O., Morrissey, J.P., Dobson, A., Griffiths , B and O’Gara,
F. (2013) Long -term phosphorus fertilisation increased the diversity of the total bacterial community and the phoD phosphorus mineraliser group in pasture soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils 49 : 661-672.
Faber, J.H., Creamer, R.E., Mulder, C., Rombke, J., Rutgers, M., Sousa, J.P., Stone, D. and
Griffiths, B.S. (2013) The practicalities and pitfalls of establishing a policy-relevant and costeffective soil biological monitoring scheme. Integrated Environmental Assessment and
Management 9 : 276 –284.
Griffiths, B.S. and Philippot, L. (2013) Insights into the resistance and resilience of the soil microbial community. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 37 : 112-129.
Recent grants
Co-investigator on a Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) funded project CRW2015/4.
Getting the most from your soil: Practical guidance. £17K.
Co-investigator on an HDC subcontract, HDC project CP107c ‘ The application of precision farming technologies to drive sustainable int ensification in horticulture cropping systems’
£20K.
Co- Investigator on a Technology Strategy Board: Agri-Tech Catalyst - Industrial Research -
Round 3 “Assessment of SOILquality using a BIOindicator (SoilBio)”. 2015. £770K in total,
£97K to SRUC.
Principal Investigator on a Mains of Loirston Trust funded project to measure the range of variation in soil quality across farms in NE Scotland. 2014. £10K.
Principal Investigator on a DairyCo/EBLEX funded project to develop a ’Grassland Soil
Assessment T ool’. 2014. £25K.
Principal Investigator on a DairyCo/EBLEX funded project to develop a ‘Soil Biology
Resource’. 2014. £25K.
Principal Investigator on a DairyCo funded PhD studentship to study ‘Managing the impact of grassland on nitrous oxide emissions through improved understanding of microbial communities in grassland soils’. 2012 – 2016. £75K.
Principal Investigator on an SRUC funded PhD studentship to study ‘Impacts of Agricultural
Land Management on Soil Carbon Sequestration’. 2012 – 2015.
Principal Investigator on an SRUC funded PhD studentship to study ‘Potential for carbon sequestration in Scottish hill farms’. 2013 – 2016.
Principal Investigator on an HDC/Teagasc funded PhD studentship to study ‘Enhancing the soil food web to control soil dwellin g pests of field vegetables’. 2013 – 2017.
Principal Investigator on an SRUC funded, international PhD studentship in collaboration with
Nanjing Agricultural University, China, to study ‘Sustainability of nutrient cycling processes associated with arable land management’. 2013 – 2016.