Rate My Professor Iain Gould

Dr Iain Gould serves as Associate Professor in Soil Science in the School of Agri-Food Technology & Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln, affiliated with the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT). He earned his PhD in Soil Science from Lancaster University in 2014, an MSc in Ecology and Environment from the same institution in 2010, and a BSc. His academic and research career centers on agricultural soil science, with expertise in soil and water management, advanced soil physics, and soil salinity tolerance. Gould's work integrates robotics and remote sensing technologies to advance soil science applications in agriculture.

Gould's research investigates how land management practices and vegetation composition affect soil function. Key projects include assessing the impacts of coastal flooding on agricultural soils in Lincolnshire, evaluating long-term effects of brackish and saline irrigation on crops and soils, and exploring the role of plant roots in enhancing soil structure. He contributes to the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics: AgriFoRwArdS and initiatives addressing climate-induced threats like rising sea levels and salinization, promoting saline agriculture and sustainable soil adaptation strategies. His publications demonstrate substantial influence in the field. Highly cited works include 'Plant diversity and root traits benefit physical properties key to soil function in grasslands' (Gould et al., Journal of Ecology, 2016, over 380 citations), 'Robotics and autonomous systems for net-zero agriculture' (Pearson et al., 2022, 74 citations), '3D Soil Compaction Mapping through Kriging-based Exploration with a Mobile Robot' (Pulido Fentanes et al., 2017, 48 citations), 'Groundwater salinization challenges in agriculturally valuable low-lying North Sea region' (Nyika et al., 2024), and 'Low-Carbon Footprint Organo-Mineral Fertilizer Increases Potato Yield' (Oladele et al., 2025). Additional contributions appear in books such as 'Future of Sustainable Agriculture in Saline Environments' (2020). Through these efforts, Gould supports resilient farming systems amid environmental challenges.