Research Expertise and Interests

Dr Tory Milner is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, who specialises in ecohydrology, river science, fluvial geomorphology, extreme hydrological events and community ecology. Tory joined the University of Huddersfield in April 2019, after previously working at the University of Worcester. Her research and teaching interests are in:

• The interactions between riverbed morphology and invertebrate communities in natural settings.
• The effects of anthropogenic activities (i.e. flow regulation, influxes of fine sediment) on physical habitat heterogeneity and benthic invertebrates.
• The influence of streambed drying on flow intermittence gradients and aquatic biota.

Ongoing research projects include 1) examining whether pebble clusters provide a refuge for invertebrates during flood disturbances in mixed bedrock alluvial streams, 2) identifying the impact of fine sediment on bed substrate characteristics and the behavioural response of invertebrates, and 3) investigating the biodiversity and community composition in intermittent rivers.

Research Degree Supervision

Current PhD students:

• George Bunting: The effect of sediment characteristics and a fine sediment pulse on invertebrate distributional patterns. Supervisors: Dr Tory Milner (Director of Studies), Professor Ian Maddock (University of Worcester), Dr Iwan Jones (Queen Mary University of London).
• Melanie Milin: Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in an intermittent river network: implications for freshwater biodiversity conservation. Supervisors: Dr Tory Milner (Director of Studies), Dr Matt Hill (University of Huddersfield), Professor Ian Maddock  (University of Worcester), and Mr Richard Chadd (Environment Agency).

Previous PG students:

• David Wilson (MRes River Science; Oct 2017-Mar 2019): The effects of streambed contraction on macroinvertebrate community composition and biodiversity.
• Jason Trueman (Research Assistant; Jun-Oct 2018): Macroinvertebrate diversity responses to flow recession in headwater streams.
• Dr Matthew Hill (Postdoctoral researcher; Mar 2016-Mar 2018): The impacts of flow intermittency on invertebrate diversity and community composition in a temporary river network.
• Anna Matczak (Research Assistant; Jun-Sep 2017): The importance of microhabitats in bedrock channels to aquatic biodiversity conservation.