School of Agriculture

Dr John Conway joined the academic staff at the RAC in 1983 as Principal Lecturer in Soil and Earth Systems Sciences and Chairman of the Research Committee; he is a member of Academic Board and Programme Director for the very successful MSc in International Rural Development, which has been running for since 1999. John is also the Disability Officer, dealing with all issues around organizing support and adjustments for dyslexic and disabled students; as such he is an ex officio member of the Learning Teaching Enhancement Committee, and the Equality and Diversity Committee.

As Chairman of the Research Committee, John manages all the PhD students in the College, liaising with the University of Coventry, chairing most PhD vivas and is currently supervising four PhD students.

Having completed a PhD in soil science, Dr Conway's research and consultancy interests cover a wide range of environmental and soil management topics, including major studies on nitrogen losses (an eight-year project on the College's conventionally managed farm at Coates, and a six-year project on the less intensive farming experiment at Harnhill), P & K sources for organic farming and innumerable Agricultural Land Classification and Soil surveys. giving him wide experience of soil conditions across the southern half of Britain.

John originally trained in earth systems and is currently focused on research into climate change and its impacts on agriculture and land management. As such he represents the agriculture sector on the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership, a regional body under the auspices of UKCIP and has organized conferences on Transition Agriculture.

His passion remains in geology and he is a Director of Geomon, the Anglesey Geopark which recently won UNESCO status, and has presented invited papers at several international conferences on geoconservation. He has written a field guide to Soils in North Wales and has a new book on the coastal geology of Anglesey. John is currently a partner in the bid to achieve Geopark status for the Cotswold Hills.

John is well known through the world of disability support in higher education with external posts. including Director of the National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) and is a member of the National Executive of the Association of Dyslexia Specialists in Higher Education (ADSHE), and also represents the RAC on the AimHigher Disability Group. He has served three terms of office as a governor at local grammar and secondary schools, including managing the Premises Committee and being SEN Governor and is well placed to advise on transition from school to HE.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Programme Manager: MSc International Rural Development
• Programme Manager MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
• Level 4: Soil and Environmental Science, Rural Land Management
• Level 6: Soil Analysis and Interpretation, Sustainable Soil and Water Management, Climate Change.
• Level 7: Sustainable Soil and Water Management, Natural Resource Appraisal, Climate Change, Natural Resource Management 

Research interests

• Soils Research
• Weather Station
• Climate Change
• Renewable energy and sustainable development
• Coates Farm Study
• 0nline textbook, Soils of Wales

College Positions

• Director of Research
• Member, Academic Board
• Member, Research Committee
• Member, Learning and Teaching Enhancement Committee
• Member, Senior Management Group
• Disability Officer
• Member, Inclusion, Equality and Diversity Committee
• Member, Environment and Sustainability Strategy Group

External Involvements

• Director, National Association of Disability Practitioners [NADP]
• Member, National Executive of Association of Dyslexia Specialists in HE [ADSHE]
• Director, GeoMon - Anglesey Geopark
• Partner, Cotswold Hills Geopark planning group
• Member, UK-Eire Limestone Pavement Group [UKBAP]