Partenariat mondial sur les sols

GLOSOLAN trainers and advisors

Mr. Rob De Hayr 

Position: GLOSOLAN's advisor and trainer, Vice Chair of the Pillar 5 of the Pacific Soil Partnership

Short Bio: Mr. Rob De Hayr holds a BSc. from Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He is the Science Leader of the Chemistry Centre laboratory, Queensland Department of Environment and Science based in Brisbane, Australia.  

He has over 40 years of laboratory experience in the analysis of soils, sediments, plants and water. He has extensive experience in the requirements to operate and manage an accredited laboratory. Rob has also spent time as a research scientist studying biogeochemical processes in groundwater-surface water interactions and the fate of particulate nutrients emanating from erosion processes. 

The Chemistry Centre laboratory supports Government and collaborative research, survey, extension and monitoring programs aimed at environmental protection particularly the Great Barrier Reef and sustainable agricultural production with an emphasis on soil security.

Area of expertise: Soil Analysis methodology; Laboratory QA/QC procedures

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Pacific (ASPAC), Asia (SEALNET)

Mr. Christian Hartmann

Position: GLOSOLAN and SEALNET's advisor and trainer

Short Bio: Mr. Christian Hartmann after getting a M.Sc. in Agriculture, he worked for 2 years as a head of routine soil laboratory. He resigned to prepare a Ph.D. in soil science at the university ‘Pierre and Marie Curie’ (Paris, France), which he obtained in 1991.  The same year he started working as a researcher at IRD, the French Research Institute for Development, under the joint umbrella of the ministries of Research and of the Foreign affairs. His research activity mainly concerned the improvement of the physical characteristics of cultivated land.

For nearly 30 years, he developed research projects in collaboration with international partners. During his career he has been facing the difficulty of comparing results coming from different routine and research laboratories that did not use the same protocols and was also concerned by the limited use of quality control in soil laboratories. Being based in Laos in 2013, he launched  SEALNET in collaborated with Ms. Nopmanne Suvannang. Until now, they have kept on their collaboration with Asian countries and with GLOSOLAN, as Christian participated to the drafting of GLOSOLAN policies and online questionnaires.

Area of expertise: Soil analysis methodology

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Asia (SEALNET)

Ms. Winnie van Vark

Position: GLOSOLAN's advisor and trainer

Short Bio: Ms. Winnie van Vark is currently working as the manager of WEPAL: Wageningen Evaluating Programmes for Analytical Laboratories. WEPAL organizes proficiency tests in soil, plant, sediment, manure and biomass WEPAL merged in 2011 with Quasimeme, organiser of proficiency tests in the Marine world (sea- and ocean water, biota, shell fish and sediments). Worldwide about 900 laboratories are currently participating within WEPAL.

Winnie studied Analytical Chemistry in Arnhem, the Netherlands. She is employed at Wageningen University and has held various positions within the University: as a research analyst, as Head of the Laboratory for Soil and Plant Analysis and as a quality manager. She was involved in the management of the then Soil Science Centre of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) of Wageningen University and Research. She has acted as a policy advisor to several Chair Groups of the ESG at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Since 2014 she is the manager of WEPAL-QUASIMEME.

WEPAL started in 1957 and is connected to the chair group Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality of Wageningen University and Research. WEPAL is accredited according ISO 17043 by the Dutch Board of Accreditation. Winnie also represents the Wageningen Soil Laboratories of the Soil Cluster of the Wageningen University, which is appointed by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture as the National Reference Laboratory for the Netherlands in GLOSOLAN.

Area of expertise: Proficiency testing, Soil and Plant analysis

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Global

Ms. Nopmanee Suvannang

Position: GLOSOLAN's Chair, advisor and trainer

Short Bio: Ms. Nopmanee Suvannang obtained a M.Sc. in Soil Science at Kasetsart University, Thailand. She made all her career since 1980 at the Land Development Department, (LDD, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand) as a soil chemist at the central laboratory and then as the Director of Soil Technical Service Section of the Office of Science for Land Development. Finally she was selected as an LDD Expert (Soil Chemistry), the position she had when she retired in 2016.

Currently she had been appointed as a technical consultant for LDD and of Department of Science Service (DSS), Ministry of Science and Technology. She was also nominated as the representative of Pillar 5 working group for Thailand under the Asian Soil Partnership (ASP). Her research interests were in the areas of sustainable land management, as well as soil ecosystem services. During her career, she worked in collaboration with all the regional LDD laboratories and at the same time, she was involved with international LDD programs and thus collaborated with many international institutes and experts worldwide.

Due to her concern about data comparability and data quality improvement, she was at the origin of the SEALNET (South-East Asia Laboratory Network) project in 2013 and was its co-chair until 2017, when this network was endorsed by the GSP in order to involve all Asian countries. In 2017 she was elected to be the first chairperson of GLOSOLAN.

Since 2013 she worked tirelessly to organize and animate trainings about improving the soil laboratory data quality and comparability for the Asian region, and to join FAO meetings worldwide to promote the development of national and international soil laboratory networks. She has also been actively working on the development of GLOSOLAN standard operating procedures and their adoption by routine as well as quality control and research laboratories.

Area of expertise: Soil fertility and fertilizer management, soil analysis methodology

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Asia (SEALNET)

Mr. Michael Watts

Position: GLOSOLAN's adviser and trainer

Short Bio: Dr Michael Watts is Head of Inorganic Geochemistry at the British Geological Survey and is an Associate Professor with the University of Nottingham through the joint Centre for Environmental Geochemistry. His research interests on geochemistry and ‘health’ interactions employs analytical chemistry for research on pollution pathways via ‘natural’ or anthropogenic geochemical sources and mineral nutrient dynamics in soil-crop-human/animal systems. Increasingly the research is multidisciplinary with greater emphasis towards challenges and partnerships in developing countries. Michael is currently the President for the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health.

Michael has extensive experience in capacity strengthening projects from Afghanistan to Africa, in particular in the design of laboratory systems and training programmes for technical and laboratory activities. He oversees a team of 20+ laboratory specialists for geochemical analyses, with ISO 17025:2017 accreditation.

The British Geological Survey is a world-leading geological survey. It focuses on public-good science for government, and research to understand earth and environmental processes. It is the UK's premier provider of objective and authoritative geoscientific data, information and knowledge to help society to: use its natural resources responsibly; manage environmental change; be resilient to environmental hazards. The BGS provides expert services and impartial advice in all areas of geoscience.

Area of expertise: Geochemistry and Health, design of training and laboratory programmes for capacity strengthening, laboratory QA. 

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Global and Africa

Mr. Charles Gowing

Position: GLOSOLAN's adviser and trainer

Short Bio: Dr Charles Gowing has a BSc in Chemistry and Geology from the University of Sheffield, UK and a PhD in Analytical Geochemistry from the Open University, UK. He has worked as a laboratory specialist at the British Geological Survey since 1992.

Charles is currently the Quality Manager for the Inorganic Geochemistry Laboratory, which is accredited to ISO 17025:2017. He has experience of a wide range of analytical techniques used for environmental samples and provides training in the UK and overseas. He also manages the Sample Handling Laboratories and the preparation of geological reference materials. His current research interests are in the development of analytical methodologies for determination of radon and Pb-210 dating.

Charles is actively involved in capacity building in Africa and Asia, working with national agricultural and geochemical laboratories to develop their own sample preparation processes, analytical methods and QA procedures. He sits on the steering groups for Proficiency Testing Schemes for geological samples and contaminated land and is a council member of the International Association of Geoanalysts.

The British Geological Survey is a world-leading geological survey. It focuses on public-good science for government, and research to understand earth and environmental processes. It is the UK's premier provider of objective and authoritative geoscientific data, information and knowledge to help society to: use its natural resources responsibly; manage environmental change; be resilient to environmental hazards. The BGS provides expert services and impartial advice in all areas of geoscience.

Area of expertise: Sample Preparation Methodology, Proficiency Testing; Soil Analysis methodology; Laboratory QA/QC procedures.

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Global

Charles E. Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL)

Position: GLOSOLAN's advisor and trainer

Short Bio: Specialists at the Charles E. Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL) of the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are supporting GLOSOLAN in the provision of training and in addressing the requests for assistance of GLOSOLAN member laboratories. Mr. Chris Lee, a senior laboratory analyst at KSSL is facilitating contact between KSSL and GLOSOLAN.   

The KSSL is the principal source of soil analytical data for the U.S.A. National Cooperative Soil Survey. They receive samples from soil survey project offices throughout the U.S.A. and from cooperating partners at universities and other government and non-government organizations.

The laboratory works directly with NRCS research soil scientists, offers standard-setting service and conducts the full suite of analyses needed to classify and interpret soils. In this regard, the KSSL leads in the development of cutting-edge soil analytical methods in support of Soil Taxonomy. Additionally, they maintain a publicly accessible database of soil analytical data and associated site information from thousands of sites across the United States and worldwide. The laboratory curates a large collection of analyzed and cataloged soil samples, representing seven decades of natural resource inventory.

The KSSL offers a wealth of analytical expertise and provides consultation on analysis methods and quality control.  

Area of expertise: Conventional and predictive methods of soil analysis

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: U.S.A., global 

Mr. Keith Shepherd

Position: GLOSOLAN's adviser

Short Bio: Keith Shepherd leads the Science Domain on Land Health Decisions and serves as a Principal Soil Scientist at the World Agroforestry (ICRAF). He also contributes diagnostics and decision analytics in Innovative Solutions for Decision Agriculture (iSDA). His research focuses on measuring and monitoring land/soil health, and improving stakeholder decision-making through Decision Analysis. Keith has pioneered a Soil-Plant Spectral Diagnostics Laboratory at ICRAF for high throughput analysis of soil and plant samples using only light (infrared, x-ray and laser spectroscopy). The lab has supported the Africa Soil Information Service and a network of spectral laboratories in national and development institutions across the tropics. Keith co-leads a flagship on restoring degraded landscapes in the CGIAR Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems.

With 40 years’ experience in tropical land management, Keith has also worked with Hunting Technical Services; the University of Reading, the International Rice Research Institute, the International Centre for Research in the Dry Areas, and the Agricultural Research Division of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. BSc Soil Science and PhD in Agricultural Botany from the University of Reading.

Area of expertise: Soil-plant spectroscopy.

Regions supported in GLOSOLAN: Global

*The GSP and GLOSOLAN saddened by the passing of Professor Phil Moody
The Global Soil Partnership and the Global Soil Laboratory Network bids a fond farewell to Prof. Phil Moody, an eminent soil expert who has been serving as GLOSOLAN trainer since 2018.