Data Scientist
Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA
I have a general background in environmental sciences, with a first class undergraduate degree in environmental chemistry. During my thesis I was introduced to the field of environmental radioactivity that would unwittingly form the basis of my career. My subsequent PhD in environmental radioactivity changed my focus more towards the physical/computional sciences and remote detection of radioactive sources. The objective of my PhD was to develop methods to process gamma-ray spectrometry data to estimate the activity and buried depth of radioactive sources. The data processing element relied heavily on Machine Learning techniques. The developed method was used to characterise radioactive contamination at sites contaminated with 226Ra and 137Cs.
My current research follows on from my PhD project. A large component of my time is dedicated to developing and implemented detection system for the Environmental Radioactivity Lab here at Striling. This involves using gamma-ray spectrmetry units on a number of platforms such as carbourne and handheld systems. Another area of research I am involved in is the use large volume detectors to estimate the risk posed by plough-induced soil erosion at archaeological sites. This work is a component of the larger European project called the CLIMA (Cultural Landscape risk Identification, Management and Assessment) project, which aims to protect ancient monuments and subsurface archaoelogical structures.
Radiological Habits Surveys
PI: Professor David Copplestone
Funded by: Scottish Environment Protection Agency
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Shake, quake or fake? Comparing BGS expected intensity modelling, felt reports, Twitter comments, and public perceptions
PI: Dr Jennifer Dickie
Funded by: Natural Environment Research Council
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LIMNADES DATA BASED DEVELOPMENT
PI: Professor Andrew Tyler
Funded by: World Bank Group
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The provision of a radiological habits survey around Dounreay, Caithness
PI: Professor Andrew Tyler
Funded by: Scottish Environment Protection Agency
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Article
Great Britain's spatial twitter activity related to ‘fracking’
Bartie P, Varley A, Dickie J, Evensen D, Devine-Wright P, Ryder S, Whitmarsh L & Foad C (2023) Great Britain's spatial twitter activity related to ‘fracking’. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 103, Art. No.: 101978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2023.101978
Article
Growing importance of climate change beliefs for attitudes towards gas
Evensen D, Whitmarsh L, Devine-Wright P, Dickie J, Bartie P, Foad C, Ryder S, Mayer A & Varley A (2023) Growing importance of climate change beliefs for attitudes towards gas. Nature Climate Change.
Article
Evensen D, Varley A, Whitmarsh L, Devine-Wright P, Dickie J, Bartie P, Napier H, Mosca I, Foad C & Ryder S (2022) Effect of linguistic framing and information provision on attitudes towards induced seismicity and seismicity regulation. Scientific Reports, 12, Art. No.: 11239. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15448-4
Article
Werther M, Odermatt D, Simis SGH, Gurlin D, Lehmann MK, Kutser T, Gupana R, Varley A, Hunter PD, Tyler AN & Spyrakos E (2022) A Bayesian approach for remote sensing of chlorophyll-a and associated retrieval uncertainty in oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes. Remote Sensing of Environment, 283, Art. No.: 113295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113295
Article
Devine-Wright P, Ryder S, Dickie J, Evensen D, Varley A, Whitmarsh L & Bartie P (2021) Induced seismicity or political ploy?: Using a novel mix of methods to identify multiple publics and track responses over time to shale gas policy change. Energy Research and Social Science, 81, Art. No.: 102247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102247
Article
Effect of "finite pool of worry" and COVID-19 on UK climate change perceptions
Evensen D, Whitmarsh L, Bartie P, Devine-Wright P, Dickie J, Varley A, Ryder S & Mayer A (2021) Effect of "finite pool of worry" and COVID-19 on UK climate change perceptions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (3), Art. No.: e2018936118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018936118
Conference Paper (published)
Spyrakos E, Hunter P, Simis S, Neil C, Riddick C, Wang S, Varley A, Blake M, Groom S, Palenzuela JT, Gonzalez LV, Cardenas C, Frangopulos M, Vega XA, Iriarte JL & Tyler A (2020) Moving towards global satellite based products for monitoring of inland and coastal waters. Regional examples from Europe and South America. In: 2020 IEEE Latin American GRSS and ISPRS Remote Sensing Conference, LAGIRS 2020. IEEE Latin American GRSS & ISPRS Remote Sensing Conference (LAGIRS 2020), Santiago, Chile, 22.03.2020-26.03.2020. Piscataway, NJ, USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. pp. 363-368. https://doi.org/10.1109/LAGIRS48042.2020.9165653
Article
Near real-time soil erosion mapping through mobile gamma-ray spectroscopy
Varley A, Tyler A & Wilson C (2020) Near real-time soil erosion mapping through mobile gamma-ray spectroscopy. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 223-224, Art. No.: 106400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106400
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Kudzin M, Zabrotski V, Brown J, Bobrovskyi T & Dowdall M (2020) Rapid in situ assessment of radiocesium wood contamination using field gamma-ray spectroscopy to optimise felling. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 218, Art. No.: 106259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106259
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Bondar Y, Hosseini A, Zabrotski V & Dowdall M (2018) Reconstructing the deposition environment and long-term fate of Chernobyl (137)Cs at the floodplain scale through mobile gamma spectrometry. Environmental Pollution, 240, pp. 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.112
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Dowdall M, Bondar Y & Zabrotski V (2017) An in situ method for the high resolution mapping of 137Cs and estimation of vertical depth penetration in a highly contaminated environment. Science of the Total Environment, 605-606, pp. 957-966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.067
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Smith L, Dale P & Davies M (2016) Mapping the spatial distribution and activity of 226Ra at legacy sites through Machine Learning interpretation of gamma-ray spectrometry data. Science of the Total Environment, 545-546, pp. 654-661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.112
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Smith L, Dale P & Davies M (2015) Remediating radium contaminated legacy sites: Advances made through machine learning in routine monitoring of "hot" particles. Science of the Total Environment, 521-522, pp. 270-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.03.131
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Smith L & Dale P (2015) Development of a neural network approach to characterise 226Ra contamination at legacy sites using gamma-ray spectra taken from boreholes. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 140, pp. 130-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.11.011
Article
Varley A, Tyler A, Smith L & Dale P (2015) Development of a neural network approach to characterise 226Ra contamination at legacy sites using gamma-ray spectra taken from boreholes. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 140, pp. 130-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.11.011