Dr Wolstenholme will be paired with a Senior Policy Adviser at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) who is currently engaged in the appraisal of the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations - the key legislative framework governing the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land in the UK.
The Royal Society Pairing Scheme is a flagship programme that annually matches 30 research scientists with UK parliamentarians and civil servants, offering both sides an experience of what the challenges and opportunities that each face in their roles. The participants will spent time in Westminster, where they will attend workshops, policy briefings, and shadow their counterparts to gain first-hand insights into how scientific evidence can inform policymaking and how policy processes work in practice. The experience is designed to foster long-lasting professional relationships and cultivate a deeper mutual understanding between research and policy communities.
Dr Wolstenholme is a geoscientist whose current research is focused on the role of sediment transport in river systems, and the impact that this can have on future flood risk. He completed his PhD at the University of Hull, where his work focused on the monitoring and modelling of fluvial hydrogeomorphic responses to natural structures like leaky wooden dams, contributing to improved understanding of river processes and natural flood management. He also holds a Master of Science by Research from the University of Leeds, where he developed innovative field methods for quantifying surface hydrological connectivity.
The senior policy adviser that Dr Wolstenholm will shadow holds responsibility for appraising the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations - a framework established in 1989 to regulate how treated sewage sludge, often called biosolids, is applied to agricultural land. These regulations aim to ensure that the recycling of sludge to land is environmentally safe and protects soil, water, and human health.
While sludge can be a valuable source of organic matter and nutrients for soil, offering benefits as a fertiliser, it also carries potential risks, such as pathogens and toxic contaminants, which must be managed carefully under the regulatory regime. The current landscape has seen ongoing discussion and review, with both industry and regulators considering whether modernised frameworks could improve environmental safeguarding and operational flexibility.
Dr Wolstenholme’s engagement with DEFRA will afford him a greater understanding of legislative priorities and constraints from inside government, while also allowing him to showcase how rigorous scientific evidence and analytical methods can inform better, evidence-based regulatory practices.
The Policy Unit will work with Dr Wolstenholme to arrange a reciprocal visit of the DEFRA official this year.