Professor Christian Dunn is a wetland scientist and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Sustainability at Bangor University. He has pioneered research on nature-based solutions, particularly focusing on wetlands for water management, pollution control, and carbon sequestration. His work has gained international recognition, especially in areas such as microplastic pollution, water pollution, and peatland restoration.

Professor Dunn is the Associate Director of the Bangor Wetlands Group, and Director of Marketing and Recruitment for the School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, and the College of Science and Engineering.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Professor Dunn is a passionate communicator and advocate for environmental sustainability. He regularly engages with the public and media through TV, radio, and print, contributing to outlets such as the BBC and national newspapers. In 2024 Prof. Dunn made his first full-length documentary for the BBC, reenacting a WWII commando operation to take soil samples from the D-Day landing beaches.

A sought-after public speaker, he has delivered three TEDx talks and is an award-winning environmental campaigner.

In 2024 Prof. Dunn was named one of the top 100 UK environmental professionals making the greatest impact in the past two years, and he serves as chair of the British Ecological Society’s Welsh Policy Group.

• Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Sustainability 

• Director of Marketing and Recruitment (SENS)

• Director of Marketing and Recruitment (CoSE)

• c.dunn@bangor.ac.uk

• 4th Floor Brambell Building

• +44 (0) 1248 382098

• linktr.ee/profchristiandunn

In 2013 I established the Wetland Science and Conservation MSc – the only one of its kind in the UK. I now lecture on a variety of undergraduate modules, covering a wide range of topics from climate change science and statistical analysis to plant identification and writing for the press. I am the course director for Zoology with Climate Change Studies and module organiser of Life in Wetlands, and Science Communication Skills.

Every year I supervise around 15 undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD student projects.

I conduct research across a wide range of wetland science topics with a particular interest in wetland biogeochemical cycles, especially in-terms of how these can affect ecosystems, the wider environment and climate; wetland management and conservation practises, wetlands and climate change, and Constructed Treatment Wetlands (CTWs).

Another area of my research is plastic and microplastic pollution, with a particular emphasis on microplastics in inland water systems and the use of wetlands to remove them.

2025

• PublishedA Newly Discovered Symbiotic Relationship Between Giant Cowbirds (Molothrus oryzivorus) and South American Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) in Suriname
  Backshall, S., Dunn, C. & Mainwaring, M. C., 19 Jan 2025, In: Austral Ecology. 50, 1, e70020.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedEvaluating microplastic trapping efficiency in seagrass meadows using hydraulic flume simulations
  Cousins, A., Dunn, C., Aberg, D., Williams, M., Smyth, A., Green, M. & Kurr, M., 1 Apr 2025, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 213, 117660.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• PublishedD-day’s secret weapon: how wetland science stopped the Normandy landings from getting bogged down
  Dunn, C., 5 Jun 2024, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

2023

• PublishedEarth has lost one-fifth of its wetlands since 1700 – but most could still be saved
  Dunn, C., 9 Feb 2023, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

2022

• PublishedBritain’s first wetland ‘super reserve’ offers boost to nature-based solutions to climate change
  Dunn, C., 7 Jun 2022, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
• PublishedElucidating the surface macroplastic load, types and distribution in mangrove areas around Cebu Island, Philippines and its policy implications
  Paler, M. K. O., Tabanag, I. D. F., Siacor, F. D. C., Geraldino, P. J. L., Walton, M., Dunn, C., Skov, M., Hiddink, J. G. & Taboada, E. B., 10 Sept 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 838, 3, 156408.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe environmental release and ecosystem risks of illicit drugs during Glastonbury Festival.
  Aberg, D., Chaplin, D., Freeman, C., Paizs, B. & Dunn, C., 1 Mar 2022, In: Environmental Research. 204, Part B, 112061.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2021

• PublishedNature-based solutions for climate change in the UK - Peatlands
  Dunn, C., Burden, A., Chamberlain, B., Danek, S., Evans, C., Freeman, C., Harvey, R., Proctor, S. & Walker, J., 12 May 2021, Nature-based solutions for climate change in the UK. British Ecological Society
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
• PublishedWater table fluctuation in peatlands facilitates fungal proliferation, impedes Sphagnum growth and accelerates decomposition
  Kim, J., Rochefort, L., Hugron, S., Alqulaiti, Z., Dunn, C., Pouliot, R., Jones, T., Freeman, C. & Kang, H., 22 Apr 2021, In: Frontiers Earth Science. 8, 579329.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

• PublishedAn affordable methodology for quantifying waterborne microplastics - an emerging contaminant in inland-waters
  Dunn, C., Owens, J., Fears, L., Nunnerley, L., Kirby, J., Armstrong, O., Thomas, P. J., Aberg, D., Gilder, W., Green, D., Antwis, R. & Freeman, C., Feb 2020, In: Journal of Limnology. 79, 1, p. 92-95 4 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedA Potential Approach for Enhancing Carbon Sequestration During Peatland Restoration Using Low-Cost, Phenolic-Rich Biomass Supplements
  Alshehri, A., Dunn, C., Freeman, C., Hugron, S., Jones, T. & Rochefort, L., 12 May 2020, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. 8
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2019

• PublishedPeatland Catchments and Natural Flood Management
  Allott, T., Auñón, J., Dunn, C., Evans, M., Labadz, J., Lunt, P., MacDonald, M., Nisbet, T., Owen, R., Pilkington, M., Proctor, S., Shuttleworth, E. & Walker, J., 2 Dec 2019, IUCN UK Peatland Programme. 43 p.
  Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report › peer-review

2018

• PublishedDecomposition as a regulator of carbon accretion in mangroves: a review
  Friesen, S., Dunn, C. & Freeman, C., Apr 2018, In: Ecological Engineering. 114, p. 173-178
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedInvestigating whether light intensity can modify decomposition rates in peatlands through control of the ‘enzymic latch’
  Dunn, C., Zielinski, P., Kent, M. & Freeman, C., 15 Apr 2018, In: Ecological Engineering. 114, p. 167-172
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMangrove forests can rebound thanks to climate change – it’s an opportunity we must take
  Dunn, C., 20 Nov 2018, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
• PublishedThe role of molecular weight in the enzyme-inhibiting effect of phenolics: the significance in peatland carbon sequestration
  Dunn, C. & Freeman, C., 15 Apr 2018, In: Ecological Engineering. 114, p. 162-166
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2016

• PublishedConstructed wetlands may lower inorganic nutrient inputs but enhance DOC loadings into a drinking water reservoir in North Wales
  Scholz, C., Dunn, C., Jones, T., West, M., Ehbair, A. & Freeman, C., Sept 2016, In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 23, 18, p. 18192-18199
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedIs peat accumulation in mangrove swamps influenced by the “enzymic latch” mechanism?
  Dunn, C., Mitsch, W., Freeman, C. & Saraswati, S., 15 Dec 2016, In: Wetlands Ecology and Management. 24, 6, p. 641-650
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedOptions for Geoengineering the Climate via Microorganisms: A Peatland Case Study
  Dunn, C., Fenner, N., Shirsat, A. & Freeman, C., Mar 2016, Climate Change and Microbial Ecology: Current Research and Future Trends. Caister Academic Press, p. 185-200
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
• PublishedPlant Species Effects on the Carbon Storage Capabilities of a Blanket bog Complex
  Dunn, C., Jones, T., Roberts, S. & Freeman, C., 1 Feb 2016, In: Wetlands. 36, 1, p. 47-58
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSmall changes in water levels and groundwater nutrients alter nitrogen and carbon processing in dune slack soils
  Rhymes, J., Jones, L., Wallace, H., Jones, T. G., Dunn, C. & Fenner, N., Aug 2016, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 99, p. 28-35
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2014

• PublishedMethodologies for Extracellular Enzyme Assays from Wetland Soils
  Dunn, C., Jones, T. G., Girard, A. & Freeman, C., 1 Feb 2014, In: Wetlands. 34, 1, p. 9-17
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2013

• PublishedQuantifying dissolved organic carbon concentrations in upland catchments using phenolic proxy measurements
  Peacock, M., Burden, A., Cooper, M., Dunn, C., Evans, C. D., Fenner, N., Freeman, C. G., Gough, R. S., Hughes, D., Hughes, S., Jones, T., Lebron, I., West, M. & Zieliński, P., 16 Jan 2013, In: Journal of Hydrology. 477, p. 251-260
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2011

• PublishedPeatlands: our greatest source of carbon credits?
  Dunn, C. & Freeman, C., 2011, In: Carbon Management. 2, 3, p. 289-301
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2021

• Edinburgh Science Festival 2021

  26 Jun 2021 – 11 Jul 2021

  Links:

  • https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/edinburgh-science-festival-2021/future-green-spaces/
  • https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/learning-and-resources/engaging-the-public/events/love-our-bogs/
  • http://www.holly-draws.com/blog/2021/7/23/exhibition-with-the-bes-and-edinburgh-science-festival
  • https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/love-our-bogs-bangor-university-scientist-helps-create-artwork-for-edinburgh-science-festival
  Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition (Contributor)

2020

• #EarthLiveLessons

  Earth LIVE Lesson with Dr Christian Dunn : Why wetlands are nature’s superheroes!

  Organised by Lizzie Daly Wildlife TV.

  5 Apr 2020

  Links:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZerSvkvpKQ&t=62s
  Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Public lecture/debate/seminar (Contributor)

2019

• TEDx talk: How we can stop microplastic pollution

  10 Oct 2019

  Links:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6QSVs4CkuU&t=5s
  Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Public lecture/debate/seminar (Contributor)

2018

• Bascamp 2018

  Main Marquee - How to get a city to give up plastic

  1 Jun 2018

  Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition (Contributor)

• Saltmarsh denitrification: sampling 2024-25 - 9070 - 9488

  01/07/2024 – 31/08/2025 (Active)

• Saltmarsh denitrification: sampling 2024-25 - 9070 - 9488

  01/07/2024 – 31/08/2025 (Active)

• Saltmarsh denitrification: sampling 2024-25 - 9070 - 9488

  01/07/2024 – 31/08/2025 (Active)

• Carbon Flux Monitoring on restored wetlands in the Thames Valley (River of Life)

  15/01/2024 – 30/06/2024 (Finished)

• Saltmarsh Denitrification Rate Methods

  18/08/2023 – 30/06/2024 (Finished)

• Mitigation of peat extraction impacts by a new peat harvesting method protecting the peatland stored solid carbon

  01/06/2023 – 31/12/2199 (Active)

• GHG Research

  01/02/2022 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)

• Lucozade and Litter: How can we prevent single-use plastic pollution

  31/01/2022 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)

• Substrate analysis of Countess of Chester Country Park area

  01/11/2021 – 31/07/2023 (Finished)

• Creation of a potential Wetland Carbon Code

  01/06/2021 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)

• KESS II PhD with Celw Ltd - BUK208

  01/11/2015 – 31/03/2024 (Finished)

• Large-scale application of the enzymic latch in peatland restoration in Canada

  01/05/2015 – 09/08/2024 (Finished)

• Development of system for separating DOC components from wetland water samples

  01/03/2015 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)

A former journalist and editor I write for a number of national publications, including the BBC Wildlife Magazine. I regularly appear on local and national radio and television programmes to discuss environmental issues.

During COP26 I was the daily environmetnal commentator for GB News.

I am an award-winning environmental campaigner and public speaker and have given three TEDx talks:

1. The Accidental Eco-Warrior 
2. How We Can Stop Microplastic Pollution
3. Wetlands: the superheroes of the natural world