About

I am a Lecturer in Zero Carbon. My research focuses on the development and application of novel, accessible technologies to help us better understand the world around us. My expertise is in low-cost hyperspectral imaging instruments for environmental monitoring. I have developed several novel instruments which I have applied to both laboratory and field-based applications in the UK and overseas. I also work closely with industry, focusing on novel approaches to develop zero-carbon technologies.

Research interests

My research focuses on the development and application of low-cost spectral imaging instruments for environmental monitoring, particularly in extreme and remote settings such as glacial regions. These environments present unique challenges, and my work aims to provide novel, accessible solutions for monitoring difficult to reach locations. I also explore applications across other environmental contexts, including peatlands, grasslands, and industrial settings with a focus on decarbonisation. In addition, I work with hyperspectral imaging approaches across a range of interdisciplinary applications. For example, we are currently applying hyperspectral imaging within the digital humanities to enhance the legibility of medieval manuscripts, demonstrating the broader potential of these technologies beyond the environmental sciences.

Membership of professional bodies

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
• Member of the European Geosciences Union (EGU)

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Environmental Science and Outdoor Education - University of Stirling
• MSc Glaciology - Aberystwyth University
• PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering - University of Sheffield

Recent conferences

• Costantini, L., and Stuart, M. (2025) Chroma Mapper: the new frontier of digital humanities applied to manuscript studies. GW4 Manuscripts and Digital Humanities Workshop, University of Exeter, Exeter.
• Stuart, M., Davies, M., Fisk, C., Allen, E., Sole, A., Ing, R.,... and Willmott, J. (2025) Low-cost smartphone hyperspectral imaging for environmental monitoring in the cryosphere. EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.
• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Allen, E., Hobbs, M.J., and Willmott, J.R. (2024) Low-cost hyperspectral imaging for environmental monitoring. Photon 2024, Swansea, Wales.

Experience in industry

I spent six months working in industry before joining the University of Derby and continue to maintain close connections with industrial collaborators. 

In the media

Editorial Images

• "Scientists seeking to quantify methane drill to the bottom of a glacier on the Greenland Ice Sheet", Getty Images 2024

Recent publications

• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Fisk, C., Allen, E., Sole, A.J., Ing, R., Hobbs, M.J., Willmott, J.R. (2024) Smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging for ice sheet and proglacial applications in South-West Greenland. Science of the Total Environment
• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) Peatland Plant Spectral Response as a Proxy for Peat Health, Analysis Using Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques. Remote Sensing 
• Stuart, M.B., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., Pering, T.D., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) High-Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging Using Low-Cost Components: Application within Environmental Monitoring Scenarios. Sensors
• Davies, M., Stuart, M.B., Hobbs, M.J., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2022) Image Correction and In Situ Spectral Calibration for Low-Cost, Smartphone Hyperspectral Imaging. Remote Sensing
• Stuart, M.B., McGonigle, A.J.S., Davies, M., Hobbs, M.J., Boone, N.A., Stanger, L.R., Zhu, C., Pering, T.D., Willmott, J.R. (2021) Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging with a Smartphone. Journal of Imaging
• Stuart, M.B., Stanger, L.R., Hobbs, M.J., Pering, T.D., Thio, D., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2020) Low-Cost Hyperspectral Imaging System: Design and Testing for Laboratory-Based Environmental Applications. Sensors
• Stuart, M.B., McGonigle, A.J.S., Willmott, J.R. (2019) Hyperspectral Imaging in Environmental Monitoring: A Review of Recent Developments and Technological Advances in Compact Field Deployable Systems. Sensors