Andrew Rate

Since I was a kid I’ve been interested in science, chemistry and metals, and somewhere along the way I became interested in soils and Earth science in general. These early (and persistent) interests have matured into a specialisation in the chemistry of soils, regolith, and sediments, with a particular focus on the geochemistry and cycling of trace elements. Currently I’m conducting research on several topics related to these scientific interests, in various contexts including acid sulfate soils, urban soil contamination, and critical zone science based at UWA’s Ridgefield Farm. I have a particular interest in the use of multielement data, via multivariate numerical and statistical techniques, to unravel layers of human effects on landscapes. Much more recently, I’ve become interested in the role of soil and water contamination studies in identifying environmental socioeconomic inequities.